Overlord Phantasy
by BladeGrip
Summary: An interstellar space military operative escaped from the destruction of his fleet's capital ship and ended up at the grass plains near the Tomb of Nazarick. Momonga quickly noticed his presence and invited him in. Whether he's Momonga's valuable ally, useful asset, or a merely a tool to use, they must eventually depend on each other to fend off the calamity which followed him.
1. Introduction

Hi there, to anyone reading this!

This part of the introduction is an updated one made at May 17 2018. The original version of this introduction can be found at the bottom. Without further ado, let's begin the introduction.

Overlord Phantasy is a fic written by me, one of the many followers of Overlord series. I write this as a side hobby, and I am trying a somewhat different approach than most Original Character (OC) stories. The protagonist of this story is the player character I played in an MMORPG titled Phantasy Star Online 2 (PSO2). I played the South East Asia server which shut down at May 26 2017, so I can relate to Momonga myself in a certain way.

In battles, the protagonist will be using combat techniques from his PSO2 origin, and explanation of what the tech does will be provided as necessary. I will try my best so that prior knowledge of PSO2 is not required to read the story.

The story format will, like many other fics, follow the chronological order of the light novel from the beginning. However, canon events will be mostly 'offscreen' to avoid becoming a mere carbon copy of the original novels. Departure from canon is planned to happen later after going through the first few volumes.

That is all for the introduction. I hope you find my side hobby enjoyable enough.

 **Character Sheet**

 **Name:** Ryu Seika

 **Height:** 173 cm

 **Appearance:** See cover image

 **Class:** Force level 70

 **Sub Class:** Techer level 70

 **Skill Build:** Thunder Element and Dark Element focused

 **Main Weapons:** Weddle Park Rod, Gal Wind Talis

 **Reserve Weapons:** Rod of Caduceus, Wand of Elysion, Dahgash Talis, Metal Ignis Talis, Heretic Saw Talis, Motav Prophecy Talis, Seimei Kikami Talis

 **Special Perks:**

*. Photon Inventory. Works the same way as Momonga's inventory system.

*. Photon Armor. A defensive invisible energy shield, giving protection to the whole body.

*. Photon Clothing. Enables instant change of clothes.

*. Photon Blast - Julius Nifta. No explanation because spoiler.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

First of all, hello there whoever reading this!

I'm just simply one of many followers of Overlord series. I've read the manga and LN to their latest update, and I also have watched the anime. I'm totally looking forward to how the season 2 of the anime will turn out.

Putting that aside, I'd like to tell that I'm gonna do a shameless self-insert fic of this series as a side hobby. I hope whoever gonna read this aren't tired of such fic already. ^^'

I have written the first chapter already, but before I publish it I would like to ask a question.

 **Should I publish this story as a crossover or not?**

The situation here is that my OC is the character I played in Phantasy Star Online 2 MMORPG. Official characters from Phantasy Star series never appear in the story other than a few minor mentions by my OC. Also, my OC uses combat spells from PSO2 verse instead of Overlord tier magic. I feel that there are no significant materials crossing over that I should publish this as crossover, but I'm not sure myself either.

 **Additional note for people familiar with PSO2:** I only played the now-closed SEA server, so lore-wise my character never experienced the events of Episode 3 and beyond.

I hope you guys find my side hobby at least acceptable.


	2. Chapter 1: An Arrival of Two

_Where am I?_

That was the first thing coming to Seika Ryu's mind. His consciusness has not fully returned to him yet. He was at least aware that he was lying down on a grass land. The sky was dark with silver sparkles all about.

 _What happened?_

Another question popped into his mind. He had no memory of how he got into this place. The latest memory that he could retrieve from his mind was the moment when Ur ship exploded.

In other words, a disaster.

Ur was one of the many spaceships within Artificial Relicit to Keep Species (ARKS), a military group dedicated to eradicate planet-corrupting creatures known as Darkers. Losing an ARKS spaceship is a rare occurence which only could happen in battles against a greater Darker known as Dark Falz.

Ur just happened to be one of the unfortunate ships. There were hundreds of such city-carrying spaceships within ARKS fleet. The Dark Falz would have been defeated one way or another.

As of now, the most important thing for him is to assess his situation. He raised his left hand to reach his left ear, where a communication device has been implanted. A standard equipment for any ARKS operative.

"The comm is not responding..."

He looked around, seeing if he could notice some kind of intelligent life in the vicinity. There was nothing other than a wide grassland, as far as his eyes could see.

Next was to see if he still possessed his combat capability. ARKS operatives do battles by utilizing energy particles known as photons, depending on their aptitude and alignment. Photons exists in every place, barring very few exceptions. He had to confirm if he was in such place by extreme unfortunate chance.

Ryu took the weapon that was strapped on his back. It was a rod with retractable handle. When used, the rod was almost as long as his body height. The head of the rod had three sharp purple prongs pointing slighly outwards from the center. Near the head the rod's body was thicker with the color black and red. The handle was thinner and purple, and at the tail of the rod was a counterweight in the shape like a plus sign if pointed directly to one's eye. The name of the weapon was Weddle Park

As a Force class, Ryu's combat capability was in the same sense as an elemental wizard in most fantasy settings. He was able to manipulate Photons into projections of common elements: Fire, Ice, Thunder, Wind, Light, and Dark.

Ryu was specialized in Thunder and Dark element. He still could use all other elements, though not as potent. In fact, his Weddle Park had an innate ability to amplify Dark element attacks he casted.

Still, he decided to first use a spell of an element he is not specialized at.

 _Foi... wait_!

He was about to cast Foie, a fire spell which produces a fireball, but at the last second he realized that he could start a wildfire, so he halted it.

 _Sazan!_

Sazan was a wind spell that produces a miniature tornado at the target area. If the target area was close enough from the caster, all enemies between the caster and the target area would be pulled into the miniature tornado.

But what came out was different than expected.

Instead, a giant tornado capable of devastating an entire city appeared at the target area. For a few seconds, Ryu stood still with his mouth agape. He was physically unaffected by the tornado thanks to his photon defense system, but everything else would be less fortunate. Moreover, the tornado did not look as if it would disappear quickly like how it should have been.

 _Cancel! Ahh, nope!_

Ryu was shocked out of his wits. Barring some exceptions, Photon Techniques could not be cancelled while in effect. Sazan was not one of them. He had to quickly think of a way to disperse the tornado.

 _Razan!_

Razan was a spell that produces an upward outburst of air from the ground like a geyser. He hoped that the upward burst would somehow blow the tornado from within and make it disperse.

The upward burst which came out had a tremendous strength. It was so strong that the tornado blew up violently from within, as he had hoped. He covered his face with his arms to brace from the resulting gust of air. His photon defense system still held him in place, but he definitely felt the force of the wind and pieces of soil falling like rain around him.

When the wind and soil rain calmed down, he let his arms down and looked at the aftermath, and once again his mouth went agape. In place of a grass field, there was a hole about a hundred meters wide. The depth of the hole was about one meter, revealing fresh red soil beneath what used to be a grass field. Pieces of soil along with the grass that had grown on them were strewn all over the place.

"H-how is this possible?"

There has never been any recording of Photon Techniques being this devastating. Even the heroes of Six Pillars were not capable of this level of destruction. Ryu was just another operative without exceptional feat, there was no way this could have happened. Moreover, wind element was outside his specialization.

He started to shiver, thinking about what would have happened if he had casted either thunder or dark element.

 _Maybe I should refrain from casting anything until I figu... what?_

Before Ryu could make a sure decision, he saw something coming from a distance. There were figures of two person. One of them was a rather old man in a butler suit. His body was overall very well built. His hair was white, and the same applied to his immaculate beard. The other person was a woman dressed in a maid uniform, though the maid suit seemed to have armored parts over it. Both of them approached with their hands raised, implying that they came in peace.

In response, Ryu also held his hands up, trying to tell that he would do no harm. The other party seemed to understand, seeing that they put their hands down in relief.

After both parties were close enough to talk, the elderly butler was the first to speak.

"Greetings. My name is Sebas Tian"

"My name is Seika Ryu. You can call me Ryu"

"Ryu-dono. Our master noticed the feat of power you have done and he would like you to meet him"

 _This might be bad._

That was the first thing that came to Ryu's mind. There was no way his test that had gone haywire had gotten noticed this fast. Moreover, sending only two plain looking subordinates to approach the source of such devastation was either stupid, or he was confident in the strength of them. More likely the latter because Ryu's instict kept telling him that these two were powerful beings.

"If I may inquire, is this a peaceful invitation or are you going to capture me alive?"

"It is the former, Ryu-dono. Our master has no intention to bring you to him against your will"

Sebas' speech was smooth. Ryu could not tell if he was telling the truth or he was really good at lying. In either case, this was a chance to obtain information on whatever place he had ended up into, though said chance was also placed on a bet whether he would come out alive with that information or not.

 _I will risk it._

"Very well. I will come with you."

"You have our sincerest gratitude, Ryu-dono"

Ryu walked along with Sebas and the maid, who has not spoken any word ever. Sometimes he felt that the maid gazed at him in disgust, as if he was a lower life form than her.

"Narberal. Refrain from doing such thing. He is an honored guest of the master"

"...My apologies"

The maid bowed her head down, but she didn't show signs of regret. It was as if she would openly do that again once Sebas is away.

"Please forgive the rudeness of my subordinate. She is not used to... outsiders"

"Ah, I'm fine with it. By the way, is the residence far from here?"

"It's just ahead, Ryu-Dono. We can see it from here"

Ryu looked ahead, in his sight about one kilometer ahead was a structire of what seemed like an old tomb. The structure still stood strong, but there was no sign of it being used by any human being. It even gave the feeling of being an undead nest.

"Forgive my rudeness, but is your master by chance... an undead?"

"Indeed he is, Ryu-dono"

"Is it too late to change my mind?"

"It is not, Ryu-dono. It is unfortunate if you do, but we have no right to stop you"

Narberal silently gave her gaze of disgust again.

The last question was not asked because Ryu wanted to go away. He was trying to see their reaction upon hearing it. From the reactions he had seen, he guessed that if he really went away, he probably would get away with it, but with a high chance of being enemies the next time they meet. He probably would end up enemies with them anyway, but he wanted it to happen later. Not now when he still had no information about this world.

"I will still come with you. There are questions I would like to ask from your master, if possible"

"Unfortunately it is not in our power to answer that"

"By the way, isn't the place a bit far away? I hope your master is patient"

"Truth to be told, the two of us are capable of leaping there in an instant, but we do not wish to leave Ryu-dono behind"

"Ah, in that case..."

 _Should I do it?_

Ryu was thinking of the one spell he usually used for quickly moving around. The spell is capable of propelling him forward at high speed, zapping any hostile he touches along the way. However, with the recent event of Photon Techniques being mysteriously empowered beyond belief, he was worried.

"Sebas, Narberal, I'm going to cast a spell to move myself forward at high speed. It is a little unstable, so please keep on your guard"

"Understood, Ryu-dono."

Ryu then took his weapon, charged it with energy, and jumped as high as he could. His jumping strength was not far above a normal human, so the height he reached was not impressive at all.

 _Ilzonde!_

Upon casting the spell, Ryu's body was instanly enveloped in lightning. The lightning aura brought him forward at incredible speed, the distance between him and the old tomb was covered in two seconds. The spell's effect stopped about ten meters away from the entrance of the tomb.

Ryu stood still, once again with his mouth agape. Normally, Ilzonde would bring him only about fifty meters forward at a much slower speed than what it just had done. He shivered, thinking about how hard he would hit the door of the tomb if the spell had lasted just half a second longer. He slowly turned around, looking at the long trail of burned grass behind him. He had jumped to minimize the damage caused to the ground by the spell, but it seemed that it all had been futile.

"Ryu-dono. Are you all right?"

Sebas, who had caught up along with Narberal, asked as if he noticed something was wrong.

"I... I need to take a deep breath"

Ryu then did exactly as he had just said. He knew that he needed to calm down, and taking a deep breath was his attempt at that. Fortunately, it worked. He regained his composure, although some feelings of shock still remained.

"Did the spell exhaust you, Ryu-dono?"

"A bit. My body just never get used to the speed"

"Shall we rest a bit before entering?"

"No need."

"Then I shall bring you to where our master is at"

"I shall be in your care"

The three of them entered the tomb. The trip through the interiors of the tomb was quiet and peaceful, as if the impression of being an undead nest was just an impression after all. Then again, two of the three lived in this tomb, so probably the undeads here recognized them all as friendly.

Later, they arrived at what seemed like a large gladiator arena. At the center of the arena was a number of humanoid creatures kneeling to a large skeletal figure. The figure wore a dark, gaudy robe which still left its chest bare but covered everything else other than the hands and face. The skeletal face had hollow eye sockets that gleamed a red light from each. Underneath its ribs there was a bigger red spherical light. Could it be its core?

The skeletal figure noticed the recently arrived group. He took a few seconds to look at Ryu.

"Guardians. I have heard and understood your opinions. Then, I shall hand the tasks that were once performed by my former comrades to you. Carry them out faithfully. Now, with the exception of Sebas, dismiss yourselves from this place. I would like to have a private conversation with my guest right here"

After hearing those words, all the humanoid creatures swiftly went away without saying a word. In less than a minute, all that was left in the middle of the arena was Ryu, Sebas, and the skeletal figure.

"So this is the one who created the tornado and later blew it up?"

"Indeed he is, Momonga-sama"

Sebas kneeled as he answered.

 _I should do the same_

"It is a great pleasure to meet you. My name is Seika Ryu"

"Raise your head and stand up. You are my guest, so you do not need to kneel"

Ryu did as the skeletal figure said. He could feel an overwhelming power from it, far beyond the strongest Dark Falz he had ever fought. Making enemies of this figure would be a fatal mistake right now.

"I would like to ask you a few questions, Ryu-san."

"I will answer them with the best of my capability, Momonga-dono"

"What is the name of this region?"

"I'm afraid I have no idea, Momonga-dono. I was already here when I woke up"

For a moment, the lights inside Momonga's hollow eye sockets went out and his jaw dropped a bit. Less than three seconds later the lights went back and the mouth closed again.

"Sebas, leave the two of us alone. The coming topic requires secrecy just between me and him"

"As you wish, Momonga-sama"

Sebas went away from the place swiftly. Now there were only two people there.

"Ryu-san. Are you an Yggdrasil player too?"

"Yggdrasil player? What is that?"

"Don't mess with me! You're just like me, right? Transported to this world all of a sudden?!"

Seeing the mighty skeletal figure dropping the formal speech into what seemed like a frustrated person talking caught Ryu off guard. Still, the fact remained that Momonga was overwhelmingly strong, so answering truthfully was still the best option.

"Yes, that is correct"

"So answer me! You are an Yggdrasil player too, right? There's no way...!"

Momonga's sentence was cut short. He suddenly reverted back to a calm self.

"Tell me about where you came from"

Ryu did as Momonga had asked. He told him everything about his origin. Momonga's eyes went out and his jaw slightly dropped a few times as Ryu told him the story.

"So, you're saying that you're part of a space traveling army?"

"Yes"

"Do you know anything about a planet named Earth?"

"I'm afraid not"

"Do you know anything about video games?"

"Yes, it is one type of entertainment popular among civilians"

"To put it simply about myself, I was a human from Earth playing a video game. My character is an undead skeleton magic caster. Suddenly I, along with my guild base and all the NPC inside, am here in this unknown world as the character I was playing."

"That is interesting"

"My human name is Suzuki Satoru, but still, call me Momonga while I'm like this"

"Understood"

Momonga let out a sigh.

"So it turns out none of us have any information about this world"

"Momonga-dono. May I ask you a few questions?"

"Ask away. And feel free to drop the formality if it is only two of us"

"How strong do you think you are?"

"That is not a simple question to answer. In the game world I came from, I am at the peak of my strength. However, this character was not optimally set up for fighting other players. So over there I would say that I am somewhere between middle and high tier player"

Momonga let out another sigh.

"But the lack of information about this world worries me. I am level 100, but if in this world a commoner is about as strong as level 100, we are totally in danger"

"I see what you mean. Another question. If you were to take the tornado I casted, do you think you would be fine?"

Momonga rubbed his skeletal chin with his right hand, seeming to be thinking.

"A tornado of that scale is roughly equivalent to a 7th tier elemental magic. I might take some damage but it will be minor. Then again, the wind explosion might be as strong as 8th tier. In that case, I would take substantial damage"

Momonga gave his chin another rub.

"Nevertheless, I was speaking on the account that I just stand there and receive it head on. In practice I would either evade or block them with defensive spells"

"I see"

There was a silence for a few seconds.

"Momonga-dono. May I borrow this arena for a while?"

"Huh? For what?"

Ryu then told Momonga about how his Photon Techniques were not supposed to be as devastating. He wished to use the open field of the arena to learn how to control the overwhelming power because he was concerned about the potential collateral damage if he were to use them in combat someday.

"I see. Then use it as you like. I will have my subordinates to keep watch on whatever damage you might accidentally cause"

Hearing the approval, Ryu bowed down to Momonga.

"You have my sincerest gratitude"

"Don't be so laid down. Also, if you need rest, a guest room will be prepared for you"

Before Ryu could say thanks again, Momonga vanished from his sight. He had teleported away from the place. Now he was all alone in the middle of the arena's wide dirt field.

"Yosh!"

With new determination, Ryu began his control training. He was resolved to gather information about this world and someday figure out how to return to his duty as an ARKS operative.


	3. Chapter 2: Lament of Carne Village

**Hi, all. Author here. Sorry if any of you feel that the update takes too long, but it is what it is. After all, writing this is not high on my priority list. Expect updates to come once every 2-3 weeks, with 3k-4k words each chapter.**

 **Also, thanks for all the comments so far. Your points are considered.**

* * *

"Ah, Sebas. You have returned"

"Yes, Momonga-sama. Our guest is now asleep"

Two days had passed since the moment Momonga met the human stranger who had claimed to be part of a space traveling military group. To be exact, forty six hours had passed. The stranger, the name of whom was Seika Ryu, in a sense was the same as Momonga. Both of them got mysteriously transported into an unknown world, though with different circumstances.

Ryu's claim was naturally hard to believe for Momonga. However, the fact that he was capable of combat still held some points. Still, he was far weaker than Momonga in terms of power. Moreover, he also claimed that his spells got mysteriously empowered upon arriving at this world, so if what he had claimed had been true he might had been just as weak as a skeleton mage.

 _Hard to believe that he has experience of fighting planet-eating monsters with such weak power. I really let my guard down there._

Momonga reflected on things he had told Ryu the first day they had met. He feared that he might had made a grave mistake telling Ryu everything about his origin, all the way to his human name. At that time he had felt that because Ryu had told him his origin he had to do the same. But what if it turned out that it was all lies? He could not rule out the possibility.

If Ryu turned out to be a denizen of this world, his outfit and knowledge about space travel and modern technology meant that this world had modern civilization. But being able to create such tornado made an impression that magic was prevalent, and in most cases magic does not mix well with modern civilization.

 _My head is a mess thinking about it. Ah, in any case, as long as he is still in my watch there should be no problem, yet._

Keeping Ryu around would be very unlikely to bring benefits to Nazarick, but Momonga still kept him anyway. One reason was to keep watch on him, another was to wait and see if he would turn out useful in some way, even as a cannon fodder. His upkeep cost was negligible anyway.

Ryu had been given permission by Momonga to use the colosseum in the 6th floor to train his control of the empowered spells. Momonga had ordered the twins, Aura and Mare, to keep watch of any collateral damage he might accidentally cause. Sebas was also assigned to standby in case Ryu accidentally hurt himself, so he could heal him with his Qigong. An Eight-Edge Assassin was also assigned to keep watch on him 24/7 while staying undetected.

Momonga himself had spent the two days trying to keep his image as supreme leader. It was a difficult and exhausting task for him, but he just could not afford to let the guardians down, not after they had told him how highly they thought of him.

When Sebas returned to the throne room, Momonga was sitting on the throne with Albedo standing next to him. He was pondering on what to do next in this unknown world.

"By the way, I feel some kind of energy around you, Sebas"

"Our guest was testing his defense boosting spell, Momonga-sama. I got caught inside its area of effect"

"Is the effect significant?"

"I apologize, Momonga-sama. I have not tested it"

Momonga rubbed his chin for a few seconds. He thought of a way to quickly test it before it faded away anytime soon. It would emotionally pain him, but he decided that every bit of information he could gain about the guest was more important.

"Albedo"

"Yes, Momonga-sama!"

"Punch Sebas once in the face bare-handed with all your strength. Sebas, stand there and receive it"

"As your wish, Momonga-sama!"

"Understood, Momonga-sama"

As Momonga had commanded, Albedo approached Sebas and punched him in the face with her bare hand as hard as she could. Sebas received the punch without any defensive or evasive move, and he got staggered. Momonga gave the order fully knowing that the bare-handed punch from Albedo would only give Sebas a dark bruise at worst since Albedo's physical attack stat was lower than Sebas' physical defense. Just one second later, Sebas got back into his standing position. His face showed a little bruise that would not be noticed at a glance.

"Now give me your honest opinion. First, Albedo"

"I felt some kind of energy hindering my punch. The sensastion felt like Sebas' skin was covered in soft layer."

"I felt a tingle and a little bit of pain, and the damage on myself is very minor"

"It pained me to order my guardian to hurt another, but that was the only way which came to my mind to gain information quickly before the magic fades away"

"This minor pain is merely a small price to pay for becoming useful to Momonga-sama"

"That's right Momonga-sama! Carrying your orders is our greatest reward, even if we have to die for it!"

Momonga just sighed at the NPCs' low view of their own well being. Could their mind be changed somehow? He doubted it.

"In any case, it seems the defensive spell has a quite significant effect. Also, you said area of effect? How wide was it?"

"Based on my observation, the spell covered at least the entire colosseum structure, possibly further"

"How long has it lasted on you"

"So far it has been on me for ten minutes. Ah, it faded away just now"

Momonga was relieved that his decision to test the effect was correct. Any other way would be too late.

"Did Ryu-san say anything about the spell?"

"After realizing that the spell affected everyone present, he explained that it was a buff spell to reduce all incoming damage"

Momonga rubbed his chin. He has been thinking that the guest was weak, and indeed he was, offensively. However, the defensive buff spell he had just seen was impressive for him. Momonga knew a spell that could achieve a better feat, namely Body of Effulgent Beryl. It would completely negate the damage done to Sebas. However, being a spell of 10th tier it costs a substantial amount of MP. It is only a single target spell, limited to bludgeoning damage, and the negation only works once, though it still reduces incoming bludgeoning damage as long as it is active.

On the other hand, Ryu's defensive buff spell could easily buff a lot of targets at once, worked against all types of damage if his claim was true, seemed to be cheap enough to cast casually, and lasted long enough to minimize effort of maintaining.

 _He might become useful in a different field, apparently_

"Any further orders, Momonga-sama?"

"Go back into your works and rest as necessary. I still need time to plan our move. That applies to you too, Albedo"

"Understood, Momonga-sama"

* * *

As a human, Ryu still need food, water, sleep, and any basic necessities. Fortunately, everything has been prepared for him inside the residence of the undead figure he had met. Though they came with one glaring problem.

 _Everything's too grand!_

The bedroom was like it belonged to a king, and it was so clean there was no telling that this was inside an old tomb. The food was grand enough that his wallet would dry up in less than a week if he tried to have the same meal back in Ur.

To make it more awkward, breakfast was delivered to the bedroom by the same maid who had glared at him in the recent past, and she still silently continued to do so.

 _Where did he get all these things?_

That was the question in Ryu's mind. But then he remembered. Before coming to this world Momonga and the entire building were video game objects. It was very likely that the grand facilities were part of player progression in that game.

Nevertheless, having been granted shelter and an open field for training had been a blessing, and thankfully after three days he managed to gain a degree of control over his photon techniques. The spells were still more powerful than normal, but much less likely to cause collateral damage.

 _I should meet him and say thanks after breakfast_

It was the morning of the fourth day of him coming to this world. Breakfast had been delivered to him, once again by the same maid. He had honestly gotten used to her glare.

Ryu ate his breakfast without a word. After he was done, he left the guest room and headed to the throne room where Momonga was supposed to be. He knew the location because he had gone there once on the second day. Back then Momonga wanted to ask more questions, so he had been invited there. Still, something was strange about that occasion. Unlike before this time the atmosphere had been very heavy. It was as if Momonga had been emphasizing on how powerful he was and how he was not someone you want to mess with.

When Ryu arrived at the throne room, Momonga was nowhere to be found. Instead, he saw someone hastily passing by. It was someone in full plate armor, though some feminine features could be noticed from the armor. A woman of that height would probably be nobody other than...

"Excuse me... Albedo-dono?"

She responded, but kept walking.

"I have no time to waste on you. Momonga-sama needs my assistance!"

Hearing the words, Ryu immediately followed her running. He believed that if someone needed assistance he would help in the best of his abilities. He knew well that his power was nothing compared to Momonga's, but any extra assistance would be appreciated. At least he believed so.

The two of them arrived in a room with a long rectangular table and a set of chairs around it. There was a dark vortex floating next to the table, seemingly a portal or such. Albedo went through the portal without a second thought, and Ryu followed right behind.

The scenery before his eyes changed. In front of him was a view of dirt path and trees. Momonga was standing idly, next to him was an armored man lying down on the ground motionless and two girls kneeling and hugging each other, looking scared. It was pretty difficult for Ryu to get a grasp on what was happening there.

"The preparations took some time. I apologize for my late arrival,"

"No, it's fine. You came just in time. But... why are you here as well, Ryu-san?"

"I happened to saw Albedo-dono passing by and she said you need assistance, so I thought..."

"Stop there, you have told me enough"

"Then… how shall we dispose of these inferior lifeforms? If you do not wish to stain his hands with their blood, I will gladly eliminate them on your behalf, Momonga-sama."

 _What?_

That was the first thing coming to Ryu's mind. He was about to object when Momonga started speaking.

"...What exactly did Sebas tell you?"

Albedo did not respond.

"I see, you didn't pay attention… my intention is to save this village. Our enemies are the knights in armor, like that corpse over there."

Momonga saw that Albedo nodded in understanding, and turned his eyes elsewhere. At the same time Ryu was relieved that it turned out Momonga had a noble intention.

"Then…"

The next scene unfolding before Ryu's eyes was more or less... bizzare.

Both of the scared girls wet themselves, Momonga noticed that one of them had a large wound on her back, then he took a large backpack out of nowhere, rummaged through it, took another backpack, rummaged through that one, took yet another one, repeating the cycle several times until he found a vial of red liquid, probably a healing potion.

Momonga offered the potion to the injured, older girl. Naturally, being offered an unknown drink from a towering skeletal figure would not make a positive response. Seeing Albedo's rage that came immediately was stunning. From there Ryu deduced that Albedo, possibly other subordinates as well, thought very highly of Momonga that displeasing him even so slightly in front of them would be a bad idea. Seeing Momonga frantically trying to stop Albedo was a bit amusing, though.

After Momonga settled things there, he and Albedo walked towards a direction, leaving the two girls under a stationary protective barrier. Ryu followed them without saying anything. He just listened to them talking to each other. From there he learned a few things such as the reason Momonga changed his name into Ainz and the abandonment of other "Supreme Beings" who used to live in the tomb with Momonga-Ainz.

"Ryu-san"

Ainz suddenly called him while putting on a mask and a pair of gauntlets, probably to conceal the fact that he was an undead.

"Yes, Mo... Ainz-dono?"

"I suppose you have learned a few information about us from our recent talks. I expect you to keep it to yourself no matter what"

"Yes, I promise"

"If you turn out to be not a man of your word, consequences will be dire"

As Ainz said those words, the atmosphere became heavy again.

 _He's so different from the Momonga I met back then. What's actually happening?_

"I... fully understand that"

"Good"

Ainz then gave Ryu a necklace. It had a wing-shaped ornament on it.

"Wear it and try concentrating on it"

Ryu did as he was told, but nothing happened. Ainz sighed.

"We will address this later. For now we must hurry"

[ Fly ]

Ainz and Albedo flew high and sped forward to the direction they had been walking towards. Ryu was left behind on the ground.

 _This necklace is probably a magic item to grant flight. Why didn't it work on me?_

It could be that he lacked aptitude to magic, which was pretty ironic because his combat class was more or less an imitation to elemental wizard of fantasy settings. He had no idea if he should find that amusing or depressing.

 _Maybe..._

An idea came to his mind. Instead of merely concentrating his mind into the necklace, he also imbued an amount of photon energy on it.

It worked.

The necklace gave a little glimmer, and Ryu felt that his feet were no longer touching the ground. He tried applying more energy, and he floated even higher.

 _How to move forward, though?_

He tried picturing himself flying forward in his mind, but it didn't work. He also tried some body movements but he still just floated in place. He could easily go up and down but not any other direction. Some minutes had passed already and he still couldn't figure it out.

 _Sigh..._

Ryu descended back into the ground and decided to walk. He had no idea how far the village was, but there was pretty much no other choice. Casting Ilzonde in the middle of the woods like this would risk himself crashing into the trees or starting a forest fire.

Ryu later arrived at what seemed to be the village Ainz had spoken about. While descending to the ground, he noticed dead bodies, both of the villagers and the armored knights, strewn all over. The dead bodies of the knights were horribly mutilated. Parts of the ground were soaked red by blood.

 _I'm gonna be sick_...

Despite being a military operative, Ryu has never killed other humans. All his combat experience was against darkers, wild beasts, rampant robots, and rather primitive humanoid creatures. He literally had never seen such massacre against humans. Seeing dead human bodies with such gory condition, exposed innards and all, naturally made him feel sick.

And he puked.

At a dark corner behind a house, he puked out most of his breakfast. At this point he felt a regret for never visiting the infirmaries after big battles. He had been always one of the lucky operatives who never suffer any major injuries after major battles. If he had been there at least once, his reaction to this massacre would not have been this bad.

After he was done vomitting, he walked towards the place where he had seen a crowd of people. When he arrived there, the people were startled seeing that another unknown person appeared.

"I... I'm allied with the one who had come to save you. Ainz Ooal Gown"

The people seemed to be relieved after Ryu said those words.

"May I know where is he?"

One man answered him.

"Lord Gown went with our chief to his house. Would you like me to escort you there?"

"I think he doesn't need me there. Any injured person here? I can cast healing magic"

The person looked very happy hearing Ryu's words. He then escorted Ryu to a house which had been hastily made into a makeshift infirmary.

While it was natural because it was just a makeshift infirmary, the condition inside was much lower than acceptable for sick and wounded people. He could smell blood all over the room. Every single person brought here were badly wounded, as if they were supposed to have already been killed by the knights but still stubbornly clinging to life. The smell of blood made Ryu feel sick again, but since he pretty much had nothing left to puke from his stomach he could endure it better than before.

 _There is no time to examine them. I'll just cast it at full strength and hope for the best_

Ryu took his Weddle Park, held it high, and charged photon into it.

 _Resta!_

Resta's effect was to create a restorative field around him which heals any friendly creatures inside. However, Ryu was not sure if the healing effect was smart enough to do delicate things such as removing foreign object or straightening up broken bones. He could only hope.

* * *

"I understand. We will not let anyone know about this."

Ainz secretly clenched his fist in approval. It would seem the skills he had picked up through working could still be put to use here.

"Excellent. I do not wish to bind you with magic. I shall trust your good nature."

Ainz extended an armored hand. The Chief stared blankly at it for a moment before taking the situation in, and he grasped Ainz's hand.

Suddenly, everybody in the room were covered in green light.

"Wha.. what is this, Ainz-sama?"

"This is..."

The village chief had a minor cut on his hand thanks to the incident with the knights. Because they were right in the middle of handshaking Ainz could notice that the cut quickly healed and disappeared without a trace, as if the cut had never been there.

"Ah, I forgot to tell you that I had another ally. He was left behind because he cannot fly. This is definitely his healing magic"

"Your ally must be very great like you are, Ainz-sama. I have never heard of healing magic like this"

"Indeed he is"

"Ainz-sama, are you all right?!"

 _Crap!_

"Of course I am fine. What's with that question, Albedo?"

"Oh... nothing! M-my apologies!"

 _How careless of you, almost blowing my cover like that._

Albedo was concerned because it was common knowledge that healing magic runs on positive energy, and positive energy damages undead. However, as of right now the fact had to be kept secret.

Still, something was strange about this healing magic.

Ainz did not take any damage at all.

In fact, Ainz did not feel anything trying to damage him. It was as if this particular healing magic would heal him too if he had taken any damage.

"In any case, let's continue with the topic. Can you tell me more about this place?"

* * *

Ryu felt a great relief.

The healing effect of Resta was indeed convenient. Every single wounded people were completely healed without any side effects. The ones who had broken legs were able to run and jump as if their legs were never broken in the first place.

Still, it was not perfect.

There was one man who had been unlucky, having his left arm chopped off. The healing effect only closed the wounds, so now he was without one arm.

"I'm sorry that I could not restore your arm"

"Being alive and well again is already a boon. You have my gratitude"

The man was sincere in his words, which gave Ryu a great feel of relief. Everyone he had healed and their family members came to him crying in tears of happiness. Some kneeled to him, some others couldn't control their emotions and jumped to hug him.

The celebration did not last long, though. The fact that a large number of villagers had been killed did not change. Soon, everybody returned to their work of settling up the bodies of the dead ones for a funeral ceremony.

"Now what should I do?"

Ryu sat down on a chair next to the makeshift infirmary house, overlooking the village square. He decided that it would be best not to interrupt Ainz in his talk with the village chief, but having nothing to do kinda bored him and he started having thoughts about his origin.

"I wonder why the infirmary were always so busy if a single cast of Resta would have been more than enough"

He could make an answer almost immediately. It was very likely that the mysterious significant empowerment of his photon techs also affected the healing effect of Resta. Its area covering the entire village was already abnormal anyway, so it would not be strange if the healing effect also became abnormal.

"I hope I won't get too used to this power. Once I leave this planet I'll be back to my ordinary self"

Soon, a man approached him.

"Ryu-dono, I just want to inform you that we're ready for the burial"

"I see... I'll be there. You all have my condolences"

"Thank you, Ryu-dono"

The man left, probably to the village chief's house. Ryu wondered if Ainz would be at least watch the burial from a distance like how he planned to.

"In any case, this is gonna be sad for everyone here"


	4. Chapter 3: Obtaining Knowledge

**Hi all, author here. I'd like to say a belated Happy New Year to whoever reading this!**

 **Your comments so far are appreciated. Also, let me express my answer to Fleece Johnson for his nicely written comment.**

 **I guess yes, I will move this into crossover. Though I think will let this stay here for one more chapter. I don't plan my character to introduce technology everywhere, so no worries there.**

 **Yes, I think your source being only the manga makes your information a bit lacking. In the LN his first order to Sebas is to "Peacefully interact with any intelligent being you meet and invite them to Nazarick". From this I envisioned Sebas reporting the tornado and the one who created it to Ainz and his following order was somewhere along "Approach him peacefully. If he responds well invite him to Nazarick. If he flees do not pursue. If he turns hostile retreat back to Nazarick with all your might. Prioritize your safety above all else."**

 **So here is the next chapter. I'm sorry in advance if my envision of some characters here feel out-of-character to anyone reading.**

* * *

The burial ceremony was held in a nearby communal graveyard. It was surrounded by a broken-down fence, and within were several circular stone slabs inscribed with people's names. Ryu stood along with the mourning crowd while Ainz was standing and watching from a distance. Albedo was nowhere to be seen.

As the village chief was praying for the recently deceased, Ryu noticed that the amount of bodies buried were less than the amount of casualties. Perhaps there were not enough manpower to bury all of them so they had decided to bury as many as they could before dusk.

Among the mourning crowd were the two girls rescued by Ainz earlier. It seemed that both their parents were among the buried casualties. They cried hard, which was natural for someone who had lost both parents in one morning.

As the ceremony went on, Ryu took glances of Ainz once in a while. He saw that Albedo had arrived at some point, and Ainz seemed to be talking to her. Though, something seemed weird.

 _Why is he facing to an empty space next to Albedo?_

Albedo's helmeted head was also facing towards that empty space, so there was no mistaking it. Ainz was talking to something invisible.

 _I'm curious, but I have no way to detect invisibility_.

Because of that, Ryu decided to ignore it and continue on with the ceremony.

Later, the prayer was over and most people returned to the village. The ones who remained were either digging graves to put the bodies into or were not done mourning yet.

"Ryu-san. We will be leaving this village soon. Our work here is done"

"Alright, Ainz-dono"

"Let's find the chief and say our farewell"

They found the person they were looking for soon enough. However, something felt off. The chief's face looked worried.

 _Is something bad happening again?_

"...What's wrong, Chief-dono?"

The Chief's face lit up, as though he had glimpsed a golden shiny wire of hope.

"Oh, Ainz-sama. It would seem there are some mounted people who look to be warriors approaching us…"

 _Again? Well, it's not something Ainz-dono can't handle._

"I see…"

The Chief and the other nearby citizens looked at Ainz, worried expressions on their faces.

"Leave it to me. Gather all of the survivors into the Village Chief's house right now. The Chief and I will remain here."

A bell rang, and the villagers gathered. The Death Knight took up a position near the Chief's house, while Albedo remained behind him, awaiting orders. Ryu was among the civilians, standing by if the worse scenario would happen and he would be needed for healing again.

Soon, the mounted warriors arrived at the village square. Ryu could tell that they were not the same ones who had attacked the village. They lined up in front of the chief and Ainz, and one of them, seeming to be the leader, came forward.

Because of distance and the fact that the civilians around him were whispering to each other, Ryu could not make out the conversation happening. But there was a time when the village chief and the warrior leader took a glance at his crowd, or perhaps to be exact, at the large creepy knight Ainz had summoned before, which was now standing by near the crowd.

From their body gesture during conversation, Ryu could guess that the warriors were friendly and about to spend the night at this village. However, suddenly someone, seemingly a scout, came in a hurry and shouting a bad news. The village had been surrounded.

 _New enemy? This village sure is unlucky today._

Overcome by curiosity, Ryu approached Ainz to see how the conversation was going. However, before he got close, Ainz put up his hand towards him.

"Leave this to me, Ryu-san. Stand by near the villagers"

"Oh. Sure, Ainz-dono"

Ryu went back to the crowd of villagers while Ainz and the warrior leader went inside a nearby house.

"Ryu-dono, what's happening?"

A worried villager asked him that question. Ryu wanted to give a comfortable answer, but it didn't sit well with him, so he decided to answer with the truth he knew so far.

"There is a new enemy group, and from the scout's worried face probably they are much stronger than the warriors here"

His answer of course sparked a panic. This village had taken a large amount of casualties this morning and now another threat emerged before they could recover from the shock.

"B-but, Ainz-sama will protect us, right?"

"I don't know what decision Ainz-dono will take, but I've made up my mind. Even if he decides otherwise, I will stay to protect you all"

The villagers calmed down hearing Ryu's words. Some expressed their gratitude.

"Still, I must warn you. If battle is imminent flee with all your might. My combat spells have high chance of collateral damage. I don't want any of you to get caught in it"

A while later, both Ainz and the warrior leader came out of the house. The warrior leader talked to one of his troops, and soon all of the warriors prepared to ride their horses and leave. Ainz just watched during that.

 _There are questions I'd like to ask, but I don't think I can barge in now._

While thinking that, the village chief and a group of villagers approached Ainz with worried look on their face. From the conversation that followed, Ryu learned a lot of things about the unfolding event, from the fact that the warrior leader, Gazef Stronoff, was very likely the person the new enemies was after, and the fact that now he is charging into them to give time for the villagers to evacuate. In the end, the villagers were ordered to gather in a warehouse large enough to fit all the villagers.

"Ainz-dono"

"Yes, Ryu-san?"

Ainz responded while casting a protective magic at the warehouse. The villagers were all already inside and the doors and windows were shut so none of them should be able to hear their conversation as long as they keep their voice low enough.

"Why didn't you go with them?"

"Because I have a plan"

Another protection magic was cast.

"What is your plan, then?"

"To observe"

"What?"

"That man, Gazef Stronoff. He is claimed to be the strongest warrior in this kingdom. I plan to observe and gauge the average combat strength of this world's people"

"You... let them march towards their death... for information?"

"Indeed I did"

Ainz gave that answer without any trace of remorse or such. At this moment Ryu felt his blood boiling, but he could not openly oppose Ainz. Not when the villagers inside the warehouse were depending on them for protection. Also, Ainz is much stronger than him so opposing Ainz would not be wise at all.

"Listen. In the long run, information is the greatest weapon. No matter how powerful you are, lacking information will eventually bite you. I told you this from the day we met"

Ryu just sighed.

"I see that our opinion don't match"

"Of course you see that"

"I'll let you know that I don't plan to let Gazef die"

"What? How?"

"You'll see it later. Just keep your healing spell ready"

After Ainz completed his protection magic, the two of them went into the warehouse. The warehouse had been completely emptied of all goods, leaving a single spacious room inside. It was large enough to contain all the villagers with enough room to spare.

For quite a while, Ainz just stood at the center without doing anything. Sometimes he made a gesture as if he was observing something.

 _Could it be a far sight spell or such?_

While thinking that, suddenly Ainz said something.

"Looks like it's about time to switch"

Right after saying that, Ainz vanished without a trace and in his place was the warrior leader, Gazef. Also, the vacant space in the warehouse got filled with the warriors. Most of them, including Gazef, were badly injured.

In a flash, Ryu managed to grasp the situation and did what he had to do.

 _Resta!_

The healing spell covered the entire warehouse, and all the injured men were fully healed. Gazef, who was battered and bruised all over, came back to his prime. Everything happened so fast that by the time the healing spell ended Gazef were still in battle stance.

"This, this place is..."

"This is a warehouse that Ainz-sama has protected with his magic"

"So you're the Chief… Gown, Gown-dono does not seem to be here"

"No, he was here just a moment ago, but he seems to have vanished without a trace, and in his place, you appeared, Warrior-Captain-sama"

"I see. What about the healing just now?"

"This man here, Ryu-dono, is an ally of Ainz-sama. That was his healing magic"

"Oh yes. I saw you back then. You have my gratitude"

"I'm glad to help. Though I'm sorry that some could not be saved"

Ryu looked at the transported men around him. Several of them were already dead upon arrival, so there was nothing he could do. Those who were still alive gave their respect to the fallen ones.

"They went into battle knowing that this would happen. Their bravery will be remembered"

After saying that, Gazef went into one corner and sat down resting.

"Are you all right, Gazef-dono?"

"Yes, it's just that I know I no longer have part in the coming battle."

"I never have part in it to begin with"

Ryu said that with a bit of a chuckle. He was fully aware that he would be just an unnecessary presence if Ainz had brought him along.

"I believe Ainz-dono won't need a healer, so he trusted you to heal us"

"If you say it that way, I guess so"

Ryu sat down next to Gazef. He had nothing to do other than wait for Ainz to return.

"Speaking of healing magic, may I know what tier does that magic belong?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you"

In truth, Ryu had no idea at all about it. All his photon techs had no tier or such. Their power depended on the photon particles around him, his own body's photon aptitude and alignment, and finally his weapon's channelling power. Right before Ur got destroyed by a Dark Falz, his body's alignment had been set up towards dark tech and thunder tech specialization, and since the only way to change alignment is through a special agent stationed inside the ship's barracks Ryu had to live in this world with his current alignment.

"You can guess from your knowledge. I will neither confirm nor deny, though"

That sentence was Ryu's attempt to gain info on where he stood on this world's power scale. Ainz had told him once that the giant Sazan tornado was equivalent to tier seven and the giant Razan which made Sazan explode had the strength of tier eight elemental magic. He would like to know where his Resta would be placed.

Still, Gazef's answer would very likely be useless. A warrior like him was not expected to know about magic. Moreover, Ainz was a visitor from another world like Ryu, so this world's power scale was probably different.

"I would say that it is at least a tier six, though I won't be surprised if it is actually higher"

"I see"

Like expected, there was not much that could be made from the answer. At this point Ryu was hesitating whether he should risk it and inquire more, or act like he knew everything to preserve himself.

Too bad that since Ryu is human, Gazef could notice his expression. The fact that throughout his life Ryu had been a person whom sharp people could easily read did not help at all.

"You seem to be having doubts. Is there something?"

 _Crap..._

"There's no use hiding it, eh? But not here where people can be listening"

"Let's go outside then"

The two of them went to one of the empty houses near the warehouse. There were two chairs and a window overlooking the warehouse. They put the chairs by the window and sat there. This way they could talk in private while still keeping watch of the warehouse just in case.

"So, is there anything I can help, Ryu-dono?"

"First, I want to ask you. What has Ainz-dono told you about me?"

"Nothing actually. We were occupied on the topic that Slaine Theocracy sent an army just to kill me"

"Alright, I'll tell you this. I know nothing about this place"

"...huh?"

Gazef's expression did not change much, but Ryu could tell that he could not grasp the meaning of his sentence. Ryu was playing a dangerous game telling this, but he wanted information about this world as much as possible because he could not depend on Ainz forever. Sooner or later he would go on separate ways.

Still, he had to craft his story in a way that it wouldn't be a lie, yet would neither compromise on Ainz nor sound too crazy. This world's level of technology seemed to be very primitive, so anything about space travel should not be mentioned.

 _Come to think of it again, why did I tell Ainz about that? Ah well, what's done is done._

"There was a large scale disaster in the place I came from. I seriously thought that I was about to die. I don't remember what happened, but when I came to I was on a grass land. Ainz-dono found me there. This happened three days ago"

"Maybe you casted a teleportation magic from your survival instinct?"

"Maybe? I really don't know"

"Have you asked Ainz-dono about this place?"

 _This is the question I feared. How should I answer it without telling that Ainz is from another world like me?_

"He... wouldn't tell me"

"Hmm..."

"Putting that aside, this place is nothing like where I came from. I need information about how this place works. Magic, laws, anything you can provide"

There was a silence for a few seconds. Gazef and Ryu looked at each other.

"Alright, I will fill you in"

"Thank you very much"

"You healed me and my men, so I will return the favor with the best of my ability"

Gazef told Ryu many things from his knowledge. From the name of the kingdom and the surrounding areas, the value of currency, the nearest large city, the existence of Adventurer's Guild, and many other things including the fact that tier two was the highest most magic casters could cast. Tier three to six could only be casted by very few, with the latter only four casters in the entire continent could cast. Tier seven to ten were essentially stuff of legend.

"Well, that's a lot of info"

"I can't imagine what kind of place you came from. You said that you're not special, yet you casted a spell that is pretty much equivalent to mythical stuff without breaking a sweat"

"I believe Ainz-dono is more powerful than me"

"Heh, the Kingdom better not make him their enemy then"

* * *

"I see. Though you were my shield, I did not take your feelings into consideration. You have my—"

"—And even if I knew you would emerge unscathed, which woman would want to see the man she loves being stabbed by swords?"

"...Ah, yes."

"Oh, Ainz-sama. An Eight-Edge Assassin is approaching us"

Just as Albedo said it, the spider-like figure swiftly approached the two and bowed in respect.

"Aren't you... the one assigned to watch Ryu-san? Is there something significant happening that you came here to report?"

"Indeed, Ainz-sama"

"It's dark already so it's better to save time. Report while we walk, and be as brief as possible"

"I believe Ryu-san has leaked information to the warrior captain"

 _Ugh... I can't really trust him after all_.

"What information has he leaked?"

"That he came from another world"

"Ainz-sama, should I go there and kill everybody to leave no witnesses?"

"Albedo, I'm still hearing his report. Wait until he finishes"

"M-my apologies, Ainz-sama!"

"Continue..."

"He crafted his story to make it as if he is the only one from another world and Ainz-sama found him by chance. He was not good at it. The warrior captain looked at his face suspiciously"

"What was he doing that for?"

"He wanted information about how this place works, and the warrior captain agreed to give him that"

Ainz rubbed his chin and took a little time to think.

"Understood. Go back to your duty of watching him. Thank you for your hard work"

"As you wish, Ainz-sama"

The assassin swiftly went away.

"What is your decision, Ainz-sama? If you want me to leave no witnesses, I will gladly do exactly that"

"No. We will leave them be. Ryu-san's mistake is not fatal. We will proceed as planned"

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

For Ainz, Ryu had made a mistake. However, the mistake was not fatal. In fact, the payoff was probably worth it. As a warrior captain, Gazef should have more extensive knowledge compared to the chief of a remote village. The information Ryu had obtained from Gazef would very likely to be valuable. The fact that he also had tried to not leak sensitive information about Ainz was admirable, although he failed at that.

"Albedo"

"Yes, Ainz-sama?"

"I recently told Ryu-san that information is very important in the long run. He might have learned from me and attempted to gain it in his own way. He might have made a mistake, but he will learn. I respect him for that"

"If I may ask, what is the reason you put a human like him in high regard, Ainz-sama? He might be strong but all the floor guardians can slaughter him easily"

"I have my reasons, Albedo. And I wish to not disclose that. Do not inquire any further"

"Your wish is law, Ainz-sama"

The recent battle had confirmed one thing to Ainz. This world's technology level was about equivalent to medieval, just like any fantasy settings. Also, this world somehow had similar law of magic as Yggdrasil. In that regard, Ryu's claim of being part of space traveling army had a pretty high chance to be true. Otherwise, where did his knowledge of modern technology came from? His magic seeming to be following a different law also reinforced the possibility.

Ainz felt fear in his mind. What he feared was not Ryu, who was weaker than him.

Ainz feared the army Ryu was part of.

Ryu had told Ainz that among the army, he was just another operative with no special achievement. If there were so many others like Ryu, some of them possibly much stronger, even the entire Tomb of Nazarick would not stand a chance in the case they made their way here and be hostile to him.

 _City-carrying spaceship, and there are hundreds of them..._

While the chance was minimal, Ainz did not want an army of unknown soldiers as strong as Ryu attacking him. Information about them was scarce to begin with, and the only way to obtain more was to keep in good terms with Ryu.

 _In short, I must not make enemies of him unless I want more problems than what I have now._


	5. Chapter 4: Necessary Challenge

**Hi, author here!**

 **Thank you for those who have been following. I've been quite busy with work and this side hobby has been a nice relief for me. This chapter came out a bit longer than usual because of a fight scene which I couldn't just hold off until next chapter.**

 **I sincerely hope my way of writing a battle won't be too hard to follow with my character using non-Overlord spells.**

 **Also, let me know if a single horizontal line is enough to mark a viewpoint switch or not. I have been unsure about that.**

* * *

Everything was over for the day.

After Ainz returned to Carne Village from his battle against the Sunlight Scripture, he said his farewells to both Gazef and the village chief, and after walking a bit of distance and making sure nobody looked, he used the Gate spell to return to Tomb of Nazarick.

The other end of the Gate spell was the same room he had departed from this morning. Sebas was waiting there on standby.

"Welcome back, Momonga-sama"

 _Ah yes, I need to address this later_.

Ainz planned to gather all the important figures of Nazarick to announce his name change. But first thing first, he directed his gaze on one of the other two figures who had come along with him.

"Ryu-san"

"Yes?"

"Do you have time to talk with me for a bit?"

"Sure"

"Sebas, Albedo, leave the two of us alone for the time being"

"Understood, Momonga-sama"

"As you wish, Ainz-sama"

Sebas showed a bit of confusion after Albedo said that, but the two of them went away from the room without saying a word. The Eight Edge Assassin watching Ryu was still in the room, but since the coming topic would not require secrecy Ainz did not say anything.

"I have a lot of questions to ask you, but do not hesitate to let me know if you feel tired"

"I will manage, so don't worry"

"Why were you in the throne room this morning?"

"I was intending to say thanks for letting me use the arena for my control training"

"Does that mean you have completed it?"

"I can't really say complete, but at least now I can cast my spells in a way that won't make me worry about collateral damage"

"I see. Good for you then"

"So yeah, thank you very much for your patronage"

Ryu bowed deeply as he said that. His gratitude was genuine.

"Putting that aside, what do you say about things that happened today, Ryu-san?"

"Well, I learned a lot about this world. The warrior captain, Gazef, told me a lot of things"

"I actually also learned things from the Village Chief. Let's compare the information we got"

The next hour was spent comparing the information both Ryu and Ainz had learned from the day's events. As he had expected, the additional information from Gazef was quite a valuable addition. Though without a world map visualizing the areas was quite difficult. He had to work from memory of his talk with the village chief.

 _I should get a world map of this world for myself as soon as possible_

"Leaving you in the warehouse seems to be the right decision"

"I admit you're right. I could heal them thanks to your decision"

"Ah yes, speaking of healing..."

Ainz tried feeling his stats. The damage he had taken from the recent battle was minor and was about to fully regenerate, but at this point his HP has not reached 100% yet.

 _About 97%... 98% maybe?_

"Ryu-san, try healing me with that spell you casted"

"Oh, alright"

Ainz saw Ryu drawing his weapon out. This was actually the first time he saw the weapon drawn out. The design of the weapon was quite simple but bizzare for him. It seemed more like something that was made with futuristic technology.

 _If I had seen this weapon from the beginning, I would have believed him sooner._

Ryu took a second to charge the weapon with energy, and then he casted the healing spell. Both Ainz and Ryu himself were covered in green aura.

 _I was right._

That was the first thing coming to his mind. His HP has been healed back to full. Ryu's healing spell was indeed special, that it could heal undead as well.

Suddenly, the door of the room opened loudly. Behind it was Albedo, still fully armored and in battle stance.

"You... LOWLIFE SCUM! HOW DARE YOU PUT MY BELOVED AINZ-SAMA IN HARM'S WAY! A MILLION DEATHS WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH!"

 _Oh crap, I forgot to tell her._

"Albedo, I believe I have told you to leave the two of us alone"

"B-but Ainz-sama. The healing spell-"

"I asked him to cast it for an experiment"

There was a silence for a few seconds. Albedo then bowed in a haste.

"I... I have made a huge mistake calling Ainz-sama's honored guest a lowlife scum! I shall apologize with my life if Ainz-sama wish it!"

Albedo was ready to behead herself with her weapon if Ainz ordered her to do so, but Ainz shouted.

"Stop right there!"

There was another silence for a few seconds.

"You have made a mistake. That one is certain. But now I believe that you have learned not to jump into conclusion. Your mistake is forgiven this one time. Now, do not speak any further, and wait outside like what I asked you to"

Without saying a word, Albedo turned around and went outside the room. Ainz let out a sigh after the door closed.

"I'm sorry that you had to see such thing, Ryu-san"

"That... was scary. What actually happened?"

"In the law of magic working here, healing spells run with positive energy. Positive energy damages undead, and as you can see I am an undead"

"Oh, I see. She was genuinely concerned about you, Ainz-dono"

"Yes. Too concerned in fact. Anyway, your magic seems to follow a different law. Your healing spell healed me, and that is very interesting. Can you tell me about it?"

"To be honest, my spells are not actually magic"

"What?"

Ryu then gave Ainz a brief explanation on how his spells were actually photon energy manipulated and channeled with technology to give desired effect.

"Interesting. I wonder if I can do that too"

"It depends on your body aptitude to photons and its alignment. Unfortunately I am unable to measure it. I can't adjust your alignment either"

"Ah, pity"

"Anything else you would like to ask, Ainz-dono?"

"Ah, yes. Now that you no longer need to train, what are you going to do next?"

"About that, I was just about to ask your permission"

"What permission?"

"I would like to leave and go on my own. I want to see what this world has to offer, and maybe I will find out a way to return to my place"

 _I wonder if this is a bad thing or a good thing_.

Ainz tried to measure the pros and cons of Ryu's decision to leave. One of the worst thing that could happen was if he leaked sensitive information about Nazarick and Ainz himself. Another possible bad scenario was that if he got killed and the space army found out about it. While the chance of them becoming universally hostile is slim, their involvement might complicate things in the long way. Yet another possible scenario was if someday they crossed path again as enemies...

 _My head is a mess thinking about all worst possible outcome_

On the other hand, while not absolute, keeping a human in Nazarick has been against the policy of the guild. The NPCs probably share that sentiment and keeping Ryu around would make Ainz worse in their eyes. Letting him go would avert that.

 _Is that it...?_

At the moment, Ainz could not think of any other pros. The cons greatly outweight the pros. But what could be a good reason to convince him to stay here inside the tomb?

 _Maybe I should just alter his memories? I have no idea how much MP that will cost me, though._

"Well, you are my guest since the beginning. I have no right to forcefully keep you here"

"Well, I thought that since I know some sensitive information about you, you would not let me go so easily"

"Oh, yes. About that"

"I won't mind if you want to erase my memories like you did to the two girls"

"Oh, so you know"

"I just happened to notice that they never said anything about you being an undead"

"Alright, let me try a shot with the remaining mana I have left"

Ainz used the same spell he had used to alter the two girls' memories on Ryu. He tried probing into the moment he had told Ryu his human origin.

 _Alright, I'm gonna erase this part... Ugh, that costed a lot._

Ainz had managed to erase the part where he had told Ryu about his human name and origin. At this point, his remaining mana was no longer enough to make any alterations, but still sufficient to simply look.

 _I'll try looking further back... What?! What is this?_

The thing Ainz saw was a huge creature of unfathomable size floating in space. It was practically impossible to describe its appearance. An eldritch abomination with five pairs of arms punching spaceships to destruction. The vision ended right after the creature launched a punch right at Ainz's face.

Ainz was panting heavily, even though as an undead he had no need to breathe. Thankfully, his emotion override kicked in, returning him into his calm and composed self.

"Is there something wrong, Ainz-dono"

"I took a look further into your memories, and I saw a huge creature with five pairs of arms. What was that?"

"Oh, that would be a Dark Falz"

"Is that among the creatures you regularly fight?"

"Yes, that is our duty"

"I remember you telling me once that I was stronger. I see no way that it could be true"

"Ah, forgive me about that. We usually weaken them first somehow before fighting them directly. I mistakenly compared you to their weakened form"

"I see. Well, I unfortunately ran out of mana now, so I'm going to call it a day. Meet me again tomorrow morning here"

"Alright, Ainz-dono. Good night"

After Ryu left the room, Ainz casted a spell with his leftover mana.

[Message]

 _Albedo, send announcement for all floor guardians and their vassals to gather at the throne room immediately. In the meantime it takes for them to arrive, come into my room to deliver your report about our exploits today.  
_

* * *

Ryu arrived at his bedroom a little exhausted. Not physically, but mentally. All things he had experienced at the village, the long conversation with Ainz afterwards, and also the memory-altering magic he had voluntarily received.

Before falling to bed, Ryu sat down on the bed and tried recalling the moment he had met Ainz for the first time.

 _Let's see, he told Sebas to leave me and him alone and after that... I don't remember anything. So that's the part he has erased._

Ryu still remembered Ainz's previous name, Momonga, and the reason he had changed it. He had no idea if Ainz would erase that as well tomorrow. Probably yes, though since the old name had been mentioned often throughout his memory, erasing them all would be a huge bother for Ainz.

 _Well, I'll just see what happens tomorrow._

With that in mind, he went to sleep.

And thus came the next day.

After having his breakfast, Ryu went to the throne room as he had promised. Ainz was sitting there, seeming to expect his arrival. Standing by next to him were not only Albedo, but also all other humanoid creatures he had seen on the first day.

"Good morning, Ryu-san. Did you sleep well?"

Ryu bowed and kneeled with one knee to show respect.

"Good morning, Ainz-dono. Yes, I did. You have my deepest gratitude"

Ainz laughed a little.

"I remember telling you that you don't need to kneel like that since you are my honored guest"

"I just can't help it. You have done so much for me"

Ryu slowly stood up after saying it.

"Putting that aside, I have a proposal for you before you leave"

"What proposal?"

"This is actually a challenge. I challenge you to fight one of my summoned monsters"

There was a silence for a few seconds. Ryu was a bit surprised because it felt like the challenge just came out of nowhere.

"If I may inquire, what is the reason of this challenge?"

"Yesterday I let Gazef and his men fight the Slaine Theocracy men to gauge the battle strength of this world's combatants. Today I would like to gauge your battle strength"

"I see"

Ryu thought about it for a moment. While he didn't really mind, at this moment there would be nothing for him to gain. He would only give information to Ainz about how he would fare against this world's dangers.

"If you accept the challenge and win, you will be rewarded"

"And if I don't..."

"Nothing will happen if you refuse this challenge. We will see you leave in good faith still"

"What will be the reward?"

"A companion sworn to be loyal to you"

 _Do I need it?_

Ryu fell into a deep thought. While having a companion would be handy, there were times when he would rather be alone, such as when he needed to sneak around. On that regard, what kind of creature would it be? So far Ryu has not seen any other human in the tomb other than Sebas and some of the maids, and even then there was no telling if they were human or merely shaped like human.

"Think about it, Ryu-san. Being alone in an unknown world is more difficult than it might seem"

Ainz stood up from his throne and walked towards Ryu. The other creatures near him stood still, just watching.

"You might have been taking it for granted, but once you leave the Tomb of Nazarick all those facilities I have been giving you permission to use will no longer be within your reach"

Ainz came closer, and now he was face to face with Ryu. Their height difference were clear, though. Ryu had to look up and Ainz had to look down to make their eyes meet.

"With a companion, someone will watch your back when you are vulnerable. Even in the case this world's society hates you, he will remain at your side"

There was a silence.

"This is your chance. My offer is only effective this once. What will you do?"

"Ainz-dono. One last question. What if I accept the challenge and lose?"

"Do you seriously think you will lose?"

"No, but I just-"

"If you are going to accept my challenge, accept it with determination to win. If you persist to ask that question again, I will take that as a refusal to the challenge"

There were another few seconds of silence. Ryu was still unsure whether accepting the challenge would be of any benefit compared to refusing. Moreover, Ainz's refusal to answer the last question was suspicious. Could it be that Ainz secretly hoped for Ryu to get killed by this monster, so sensitive information would just remain with him into the grave? But why bother spending mana to erase the memories yesterday then? Ryu had no idea whether he should trust Ainz in this matter.

 _He has a point, though. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt._

"Very well, Ainz-dono. I accept the challenge"

Ainz seemed to be smiling, hearing the answer.

"A wise answer. Do you need time to prepare?"

"No. I am ready to fight"

[Gate]

The same portal Ryu had seen the day before appeared in front of his eyes.

"This will lead to the same place you have been using to train. Enter it once you are fully determined that you are ready"

Without saying anything, Ryu walked through the dark portal. The scenery in front of his eyes changed, and he recognized it as the middle of the arena he had been borrowing to train his control over his photon techs, just like Ainz had said. Soon, Ainz and the bunch of creatures in his company appeared on what seemed to be the VIP seat.

"Welcome back to the Amphitheater, Ryu-san!"

Despite the distance, Ryu could hear Ainz's voice loud and clear.

"I will ask this once more. Are you ready?!"

Ryu gave a thumb up to signal that he was ready. Seeing the signal, Ainz raised his grand staff and pointed it at the ground of the arena.

[Summon Primal Fire Elemental]

A miniature tornado of fire appeared at a distance in front of Ryu, about twenty meters. The fire grew larger and larger, the spinning also grew faster, until finally it threw a hot gust of scorching air.

A normal human would suffer from a lot burn damage, but while Ryu was more or less a normal human, he was equipped with photon armor units. They were invisible and they provide protection by covering him in energy layer invisible to naked eye.

Still, their protection was not absolute.

Ryu took some minor damage from the scorching gust. He quickly casted Resta to heal the damage. Soon after, he saw the monster he was about to fight. It was a legless, floating humanoid creature made of fire. It had the face of a bull with four horns and large arms with sharp claws. Its back and the ground beneath it emit more fire of slightly different color.

"Ryu-san! This is a Primal Fire Elemental! Your challenge is to fight it until it dies! The battle begins once you attack it! Now show me what you can do!"

 _Then I guess it will have to wait a bit before I engage_

 _Shifta!_

 _Deband!_

 _Shifta!_

 _Deband!_

 _Shifta!_

 _Deband!_

Shifta and Deband were spells to temporarily increase attack and defense power, respectively. Their effects don't stack with multiple castings, but their duration do. Normally, their duration could be stacked up to three minutes, achieved with three castings. However, in this world the amplification made the duration stackable up to 15 minutes, also achieved with three castings. So for a total of six castings Ryu was ready for battle.

* * *

"Is this his doing, Ainz-sama?"

"I. Feel. Empowered."

"We all do, Cocytus"

The buffing spells Ryu casted reached the VIP seats where Ainz and his floor guardians were seated. Shalltear, Cocytus, and Demiurge were the first ones to speak up about it. Ainz just observed calmly.

"Buffing before a fight. Heh, he really used the first strike advantage wisely. I would do the same if I were to fight a powerful enemy and I know I have such advantage"

"But if his spells reach us here, that means it reaches the Primal Fire Elemental as well, right?"

"No, Aura. My mental connection to the Primal Fire Elemental doesn't show any kind of empowerment"

"D-doesn't that mean..."

"It seems so, Mare. His buffing spells are convenient that they don't affect anyone he recognizes as enemies"

"Ainz-sama, it seems he is done buffing now"

"Now, if I were him, I would open the fight with a spell that is powerful, yet takes a lot of time to charge. There's no better chance than this to use such spell. Let's see what he's gonna do"

* * *

 _Right, now which tech to open the fight...?_

Since the enemy was obviously of fire element, ice techs would be the most logical. However, Ryu's specialization was not ice, and none of his ice techs were suitable for opening a fight where he had the first strike advantage.

 _I'll use that one instead_.

Ryu aimed at the Primal Fire Elemental's right arm and began charging photon energy. A purple magic circle appeared at its right shoulder, but nothing else happened yet. Over the next ten seconds, the magic circle grew larger and more circles were added. All of them also glowed brighter over time until they blew up, making a small yet concentrated explosion.

 _Namegid_

That was the name of the dark element tech that could deal massive damage to a single target, yet took a long time to charge before it could deal its full potential damage.

Ryu had aimed at the right arm, assuming that Namegid would not kill the Primal Fire Elemental outright. He had hoped to disable one arm to give him an advantage in the imminent combat.

The single attack, having been amplified by Ryu's specialization in dark element and also his weapon's passive ability to amplify dark element, was strong enough to cut off the Primal Fire Elemental's right arm. The cut off arm fell down to the ground and laid there motionless and extinguished. The creature itself roared, either in pain or in a rage, or both, Ryu had no idea. All he knew was that he had to be careful from then on.

The Primal Fire Elemental generated a fireball with its remaining left arm and threw it towards Ryu. The speed of the fireball was fast enough that no normal human could possibly evade. It hit the ground where Ryu stood, creating an explosion.

When the dust cleared, Ryu was nowhere in sight. Not even a charred remains could be seen. But before anyone could think about it, he appeared out from thin air as if he had been invisible.

That was Mirage Escape, an evasion move exclusive to Force and Techer class. When activated, it gives the user a few seconds of invisibility and immateriality. Being immaterial means nothing can touch him. However, that also includes the ground. He had to jump before activating it or else he would reappear buried underground.

"That was a close one"

Without delay, the Primal Fire Elemental charged at Ryu and used its left hand to swipe him with its claws. Like before, he evaded with Mirage Escape and appeared right behind it.

The Primal Fire Elemental immediately followed up with a radial fire blast. This time, Ryu could not evade. He took the blast head on and got thrown away. He took major damage from that. Thankfully, the Primal Fire Elemental seemed to be recharging so there was time for him to heal up.

 _Resta!_

A single cast and Ryu was back to his prime. Still, while Resta heals injuries, it does not restore stamina. He had to end the fight as quickly as he could.

 _I need to make an opening... Let's see if this can distract it long enough._

The Primal Fire Elemental was about to throw another fireball at Ryu, but it was interrupted by what Ryu had just casted.

 _Ilmegid_

Ilmegid is a spell that creates a floating semi-sentient claw of dark energy. The claw would normally home in on an enemy and strike it once, then move away to a different enemy and strike it or turn back and repeat the strike to the same enemy if there were no other enemies up to five strikes, or three in the latter case, before it disappears. But in this world, a single spell would produce five claws at once and they all would strike up to eight times no matter the case.

The Primal Fire Elemental was distracted by the five claws surrounding it. Their strikes were individually weak for the Primal Fire Elemental, but they were a major annoyance. It tried driving them off, but they were persistent on striking it.

The Primal Fire Elemental was a bit late to notice that a purple magic circle appeared on its left shoulder. Ryu was charging another Namegid. It charged at Ryu after realizing it and swiped with its left claws.

And it succeeded.

Ryu evaded the claw swipe, but the evasion forced him to cancel Namegid.

 _Tch, just a little bit more.._

The Ilmegid claws had expired. He could cast it again, but the Primal Fire Elemental probably would not be as distracted as before.

 _Alright, I'll try this._

Ryu charged his weapon, preparing a spell. But he did not cast it. He just waited. Meanwhile, the Primal Fire Elemental was a bit cautious, but not for long. It charged at Ryu again, trying to swipe him with its claws.

 _Ragrants!_

A beam of light came out from Ryu's weapon, right to the Primal Fire Elemental's face. The light elemental spell had stunned and blinded it. Ryu immediately turned around and casted another spell.

 _Ilzonde!_

The spell propelled Ryu away from the Primal Fire Elemental. He stopped near the wall of the arena, then he aimed once again at its left arm.

 _Ilbarta!_

A small ice explosion occured at the Primal Fire Elemental's left shoulder. It felt some damage and cold sensation, but it was still blinded so it could not see where it had come from. A blue magic circle appeared on the spot it got hit, but it did not notice anything.

 _Ilbarta!_

Another small ice explosion.

 _Ilbarta!_

And another. The blue magic circle seemed to grow larger at this point.

 _Ilbarta!_

This time the ice explosion was larger. The Primal Fire Elemental felt a major damage but it still has not recovered from the blindness. It flailed around and hit nothing but thin air.

 _Ilbarta!_

Another ice explosion. The Primal Fire Elemental roared in rage.

 _Ilbarta!_

And another. The blue magic circle grew even larger and this time it was flashing. The Primal Fire Elemental finally recovered, and it knew that something bad was going to happen.

But it was too late.

 _Ilbarta!_

A concentrated explosion of ice happened at the Primal Fire Elemental's left shoulder. Its left arm got cut off just like its right arm. It roared in pain, but that was all it could do.

The last ice explosion also created a huge ice block, encasing the Primal Fire Elemental from the neck below.

The ice block was melting slowly, but too slow. This time, the purple magic circle it knew all along appeared on its face. The magic circle grew larger and there was nothing it could do.

 _Namegid_

The dark explosion blew the Primal Fire Elemental's head off from its body. The body twitched for a while, but then it became motionless and the fire extinguished.

It was over. Ryu has won.

* * *

"That. Was. Exciting. If. You. Ask. Me"

"It surely was! All those spells he used, I really had no idea!"

"Y-yeah. Me too, Sis"

"He is definitely weaker than us all, but I have to admit that he has provided us quite a spectacle. Magnificent"

Demiurge did a little laugh after saying that.

"Let's all go to him and congratulate him for winning the challenge"

Everybody on the VIP seat went down into the arena and approached Ryu, who was still trying to catch his breath.

"Congratulations, Ryu-san. You have won the challenge"

Everybody else near Ainz applauded, signaling their approval of what Ryu had just achieved.

"As promised, I will assign a companion for you. But first..."

[Gate]

"This will lead you to the same bedroom you have been using. Go rest there for a bit and meet me at the throne room after you have recuperated"

"Thank you, Ainz-dono"

After saying that, Ryu went into the portal. Ainz then undid the spell to make the portal disappear.

"Alright then, we will proceed as planned. You understood everything, right?"

A spider-like figure appeared. It was the Eight Edge Assassin who had been assigned to keep watch on Ryu.

"Yes, I do, Ainz-sama"

"Repeat it for me, so I can be sure that you really understand the plan"

"I am to be his loyal companion while keeping watch on him, reporting anything suspicious or significant to Ainz-sama or any Floor Guardians. If he happens to become hostile to Ainz-sama, I will assassinate him when I get the chance"

"You got the last part wrong. In that case you should incapacitate him and bring him to Nazarick as prisoner, but only if you report to me and only me first, and also if I approve you to do that action. If I happen to be unreachable, use your own judgement to take what you think will be the best action"

"Forgive me, Ainz-sama. I shall commit the correction into my memory"

"As expected of Ainz-sama. Even for the unlikely event, a plan has been prepared"

"It is common sense, Demiurge"

 _I have to compensate him later somehow._

In truth, the Eight Edge Assassin was not wrong. It was Ainz himself who revised the last part. Nobody else other than the two of them had known about this part of the plan, and Ainz did not want to look like someone who had to revise a plan because he had mistakenly made a bad one.

 _Him winning the challenge was really unexpected._

The main plan was to get Ryu killed by the Primal Fire Elemental, and then Ainz would use the dead body to experiment with the Wand of Ressurection. If the ressurection succeeded, Ryu would feel indebted to him, securing his loyalty and their alliance. If it fails, then all sensitive information would just disappear with him into the grave. That was the reason why Ainz tried his best to convince Ryu to accept the challenge.

The plan was not without flaws. Ryu might still refuse the challenge. The space army might find out and get themselves involved. However, there were cases where a flawless plan was just impossible to think of, so risks must be taken to go forward.

And yet, Ryu accepted the challenge and won.

The last part had to be revised because there was a chance that Ryu might manage to escape from the assassination attempt, and it will be the last nail in the coffin of their alliance with no chance to salvage.

"Nevertheless, let's prepare a little farewell party for him while he rests"

"As you wish, Ainz-sama"


	6. Chapter 5: E-Rantel

**Hi, author here! As promised two chapters ago, starting from the time this chapter is posted this story is now moved into Crossover category.**

 **For those who have been following, you will notice something that seems inconsistent with the previous chapter. Let me just say that an explanation will come eventually.**

* * *

"So that's the place"

Ryu said that when he finally saw the walls of the city he had heard of from Gazef back then. After leaving the Tomb of Nazarick to live on his own, Ryu's plan was to secure some sort of income because he was fully aware that all the ARKS credits he had were worthless in this world.

E-Rantel would be a good place to start.

At the moment, the usable currency in Ryu's possession was only five silver coins. Gazef had given him the coins when he had heard about Ryu's situation and the truth that he was just a guest of Ainz.

" _This should last you for about a week. Get yourself registered in Adventurer's Guild in the meantime"_

Sadly, as of now the money would only last for three or four days because now there was someone else with him.

"What do you think, Lily?"

The person Ryu was talking to was a female knight in silver-colored armor. She wore a helmet which had a backward-facing pair of small ornamental wings at its sides. The helmet had no back part, allowing her smooth, ponytail, gold-yellow hair to go down unobstructed halfway through the back. It had no visor either, so anyone could clearly see her bright-skinned face, especially her sharp light blue eyes.

Her armor suit was a rather simple one and seemed light compared the full body armor Ryu had seen worn by Albedo. The breastplate didn't have the twin bulge usually seen in female knight's armor, implying that Lily's breast size was rather small. The shoulder parts had an attached blue cape reaching halfway through the back of her legs. Her gauntlets were of simple design and seemed easy to move with like a normal glove. Her elbows and upper arms were not covered in armor, so it could be seen that she wore a red long sleeve shirt under the armor suit.

The suit's stomach and waist parts were plain and simple without any carvings or decorations. The part below them that looked like skirts was just long enough to cover the vital parts. She wore black tight shorts which were only slightly longer than the tasset, leaving her thighs bare. The greaves were well rounded to cover her feet up to and around the knees.

"If you ask me, that looks more like a fortress than a city"

Her answer was spoken out in a rather confident, tomboyish tone. Ryu looked at her again, and he felt like crying inside his mind.

 _Did Ainz probe into my mind again? Why did the companion turn out like this?_

What made Ryu felt like that was the overall traits of Lily. She was pretty much the ideal girl for Ryu, whose soft spot was on tomboy, lively girls.

Normally, this should not have been a problem. Ryu knew a few ARKS operatives with similar traits and they had worked together just fine.

But Lily was much shorter than Ryu, barely reaching Ryu's shoulder, they could be easily mistaken as father and daughter if they shared similar hair and eye colors.

The height difference and the fact that she was not a fellow ARKS operative made Ryu instinctively recognize Lily not as a companion, but as a precious someone to take care of and protect like a daughter.

 _It will be disrespectful of her and Ainz if they know this, but I really can't help it!_

"Something wrong, Ryu-san?"

"N-Nothing!"

"Hmm..."

Lily's face showed suspicion for a little while, but she didn't inquire any further.

Ryu looked at her again. Her combat equipment was pretty standard for a knight. She had a small metal shield attached to her left gauntlet and a sword sheathed at her left waist. What was somewhat interesting was that there was another sword at the other side of her waist. This way depending on the situation she could either wield one sword and fight with a defensive stance, or go aggressive and dual wield the swords.

Lily's earlier remarks was pretty much right. The outer wall of the city was tall and pretty heavily fortified. According to Gazef, E-Rantel was that fortified because it was located near the borders to two other regions, namely Baharuth Empire and Slaine Theocracy. In addition, the Kingdom and the Empire periodically had a skirmish at the nearby Katze Plains, so the city also doubled as a military base.

"Let's go, Lily"

"Right behind you, Ryu-san"

The two of them managed to enter the city without trouble. Simply telling the gate guards that they were travelers from a far away place was enough to gain entry.

Ryu asked around to get directions towards the Adventurer's Guild. It turned out that the building they were looking for was easy to spot.

Upon entering, what the two of them saw was a crowd of mostly battle-hardened people doing their activities such as discussing jobs or looking at a board where a bunch of papers were pinned. Quite a number of them looked at both Ryu and Lily.

Ryu tried walking through without paying any heed to the onlookers. He could hear a few whispers, though.

"Is he a priest? Magic caster, perhaps?"

"What a cutie"

"A magic caster man and a cute girl warrior. Interesting combination"

Ryu and Lily walked to the counter near the large board where a female clerk was on standby.

"Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild. How may I help you?"

"We would like to register"

"Entry fee is five silver coins per person"

 _What? that's the entire money Gazef gave me._

"Uhh, I don't have enough"

"In that case, we can offer you a one silver coin per person entrance"

"What's the catch?"

"Normally 20% of any job reward is collected by the guild as service fee, but for new adventurers registering this way, the cut is raised to 70% until the additional cut covers the waived registration fee"

"Well, we don't have a choice so we'll take that"

Ryu handed two silver coins over as he said it. After asking for their names and taking notes, the clerk then handed over two necklaces with copper plates as the head.

"This will be your rank identification as an adventurer. From now on you can pick a job suitable for your rank from the board over there"

"Thank you"

"If you're looking for a place to rest, we can give you directions to an inn we recommend for new adventurers"

Ryu listened to the direction given and later headed out to find the place. It took a while until he found the place because neither him nor Lily could read any writings on boards so he had to ask around again. Thankfully, the inn they were looking for had a distinct picture so there would be no mistake once it was found.

Ryu was just about to push the door open when he heard a scream of a man followed by a crashing sound. Inside the inn was too dark to make anything out, so Ryu entered anyway to see what had just happened. Lily followed him right behind

What they saw was a man lying unconscious on a broken table. Could it be that the man had been thrown there in a fight? It seemed like so.

Before any of them could think further, they heard a woman scolding someone. At the other end of the room was the angry woman screaming at someone. It was a warrior clad in black full plate armor, and next to the warrior was...

 _Narberal?_

That was the word coming into Ryu's mind upon seeing the woman standing next to the warrior. The woman's face and hair looked very similar to Narberal, the maid from Nazarick who had been bringing breakfast to him every morning when he was still staying at Nazarick.

From the angry woman's yelling and the warrior's reply, Ryu learned that the warrior had thrown the unconscious man across the room for provoking him. Unfortunately, the crashing broke the potion the woman had been saving up for and now she demanded a replacement because the unconscious man and his comrades didn't have enough money to pay for the broken potion.

The warrior handed over a vial of red potion to settle the case, and then he along with his companion went upstairs.

Ryu approached the counter, ignoring the woman who seemed confused looking at the red potion.

"I'd like to stay for the night. Double room if possible"

"Another one, huh? Unfortunately the two who just went upstairs had rented the last double room we have. Your only option is a shared bunk room"

"Too bad then. We will go someplace else"

"Heh, whatever floats your boat"

It did not take long for Ryu to decide that this inn was out of the options. If he was alone, he would still accept it. However, he could not stand the idea of Lily sharing a bedroom with a bunch of these shady looking people.

The two of them was about to walk out of the inn, but two men blocked their way. They were the comrades of the man who was still unconscious on the broken table.

"What a cutie you have there, wanna be our company tonight?"

 _Do these guys ever learn?_

Before Ryu could respond to the shady men, one of them reached their hand to Lily.

"Don't you dare touch me!"

She quickly responded by grabbing the arm and threw the man across the room, right onto his unconscious comrade. Lily then looked at the remaining man.

"Do you want to join him?"

The man gulped and immediately gave way.

As Ryu walked, he said something with an sinister glare to the man.

"Both of you were lucky. I was just about to throw a fireball right on your face. Both of you"

As the two of them walked out, some whispers could be heard.

"Did he say Fireball? The tier three magic?"

"That girl is much stronger than she looks"

"Still not as strong as that dark warrior, though"

When the two of them were finally out, Ryu felt relieved.

"Are you all right, Lily"

"No worries! But where should we go now?"

"Let's find another inn"

That was the plan, but in practice they were in a pinch. Any other inns they found later were either too expensive for them or require a minimum adventurer rank. By the time the sun was setting, they still didn't find any place yet.

Ryu bought some bread and meat skewers for dinner, and now they were down to two silver coins remaining. They ate at the edge of the market area, standing leaned to a building wall.

"I don't mind camping out again, Ryu-san"

They had camped out once on the way to E-Rantel because Ainz had transported them to Carne Village with that dark portal. They had been fortunate to have a clear weather throughout the night, but the potential danger of the wilderness made them unable to sleep well, having to take turns guarding. If possible Ryu would like to sleep in a proper shelter tonight.

"There's still a last resort"

"Really? What is it?"

"Let's finish eating first"

Ryu remembered something Gazef had told him.

" _If you happen to run out of money, the temple might provide shelter for you. Especially if you say that you can cast healing magic"_

Ryu also knew from Gazef that what Ryu had done in Carne Village would be considered illegal. In most places in this world, the action of using healing magic was restricted to the temples. The cause was actually pretty reasonable, being that it was their primary income source and without the regulation their healers would become unable to make a living.

Leeway still exists, though. If Ryu had demanded appropriate payment his action would be legal, though of course there was no way such a remote village would have the money. Also, as an adventurer, healing a comrade during a job is perfectly fine.

 _Still, I don't like being restricted like that._

Later, they went to a temple anyway to see what would happen. One priest welcomed them, and Ryu told him about his intentions.

"You just happen to come at the right time. Follow me"

The priest guided them to a room near the back side of the temple. This one room had five beds arranged in a row, and all of them were occupied by what seemed like injured people. All five of them were asleep, but their condition was miserable with some blood still leaking out from their bandages.

There was a young man, possibly an apprentice, tending to one person in the furthest bed from the door. His hands glowed green, but the glow was dim. He probably was trying to keep that person alive, looking that this one's injuries were the worst compared to others.

"These five adventurers got heavily injured completing their last job. Unfortunately our manpower ran out of mana, so for now we only could do conventional treatment. Help us as best as you can, and we will let you stay for the night"

"Alright, let me try. Lily"

"Yes, Ryu-san?"

"Be prepared to hold me up"

Ryu then stood near the middle bed and took his Weddle Park out. Lily stood next to him.

 _I need to tone it down, or else I would risk making a commotion. Just enough area to hit these five..._

 _Resta_

All the five person on bed glowed green, and once the glow faded they seemed to have been healed successfully. Their breathing became stable and they seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Ryu then fell down as if he had no strength left in his body. Lily held him to keep him standing.

"Ryu-san! You all right?"

"No worries. Just nearly out of mana"

The priest and the apprentice were stunned by what they had just seen.

"I have never seen such healing magic. What was that?"

Lily was a bit upset.

"Can that wait for later?! He is exhausted!"

"Oh yes, please follow me"

The priest then guided them to a separate room. The room was smaller than the previous, only having two beds, but overall it was a rather tidy room illuminated by magic and with a single window facing towards the city outside. Lily immediately put Ryu to one of the beds.

"I will be next door to the left if you need anything. Good night and thank you for your assistance"

After the priest closed the door, Ryu's exhausted face changed into his normal self. He then got up into sitting position.

"Nice acting, Ryu-san"

Lily said that while winking.

"Thanks for catching my drift"

"Tee-hee!"

Ryu had acted that way to keep other people's view on him more or less normal. As of now he didn't need fame or such. He was just looking for a somewhat stable income so he could then later begin his effort on finding a way home.

"So, what are you going to tell tomorrow?"

"I'm not really good at planning speeches. I'll just make things up as I talk since I have the general idea in my mind already"

"And what about the rest of this day?"

"Let's just rest up. You must be tired from all the walking this entire day, right?"

"Nah! I can go for another hundred clicks!"

Lily did a happy grin saying that. The expression left Ryu speechless.

 _No, please. Don't get too attached to her._

Ryu knew that eventually they have to separate. There was no way he would be able to bring Lily to ARKS once he found a way to return there. Even if he could bring her, the danger would be much greater than what this world could offer. He just didn't want to have it that way.

"In any case, let's go to sleep. We will be busy tomorrow"

"Alrighty, Ryu-san!"

Lily then took her weapon and armor suit off, leaving her only wearing shirt, shorts, and knee-length socks. She then also took the socks off and jumped to the other bed.

"This bed feels so nice!"

She rolled over left and right in excitement. Ryu looked at the weapon and armor suit she had taken off. Despite her carefree attitude, she actually had put them neatly on the floor next to her bed. Her swords were also put in a way that she could take them anytime a sudden danger came.

 _She's more dependable than she looks_...

"What's with that look, Ryu-san? Something on my armor?"

"Uhh, nothing. Good night"

Ryu went back to sleeping position quickly, facing away from Lily.

"Hmm... okay. Good night"

And thus came the next day.

Ryu woke up pretty early that the sky outside was still dark, though a bit of sunlight was visible at the horizon. He turned away from the window and took a look at Lily who was still asleep in sideways position. She was covered in blanket so only one arm and her face was visible. Her hair had been let loose and naturally it got spread all over the pillow. For Ryu, Lily's sleeping face was a sight to behold.

 _I'll let her sleep for now._

Ryu then quietly walked out of the room and went to the room next door to the left. He tried knocking gently to see if the priest from yesterday was already awake.

"Come in"

Ryu opened the door, and what he saw inside was the same priest in the same work uniform. He was sitting on a bed reading a book.

"Ah, Ryu-san. Are you all right now? Please sit down wherever you like!"

"Yes, I'm fine now"

Ryu then sat down on a nearby chair.

"Good to hear. Now, if I may, what was the magic you use?"

"It was a magic I developed during my travel"

"Magnificent! What you did back then was equal to a second tier magic, but in an area! If you ask me, it might be at the same level of third tier, maybe even fourth!"

"The cost was too great, though. I can only cast it once a week or I risk permanent damage on myself"

Putting a cooldown that would supposedly do a harm if breached was one method to prevent being taken advantage of. It also would give the temple a sense of security on their income source.

"Ah, pity. We would love to recruit you as healer otherwise"

"If that was the case I wouldn't register as an adventurer"

There was a little laugh from the two men.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to take a job request or two at the guild and see if I can get some coins for living"

"I wish you luck then. Feel free to come back here if you need a place to sleep"

"You're too generous. I can't take that"

"What are you saying? What you did yesterday was worth more than just one night stay!"

"Thank you, but I eventually will need to be able to take care of myself"

"Alright, just keep in mind that my offer still stands if you need it. Good luck!"

Soon, both Ryu and Lily left the temple for the Adventurer's Guild. The sky was still not too bright, but some early birds were already setting up their shops. Ryu bought two pieces of bread for breakfast, and they ate the bread while walking.

Later, inside the Adventurer's Guild building, Ryu and Lily were looking at the huge board where a bunch of job request papers were posted. After looking for a minute, he bowed his head and facepalmed.

 _I cannot read any of these_

Lily couldn't read either. The people of this world used characters that none of them could recognize.

Then she bowed and facepalmed too.

"Excuse me, is there something wrong?"

Ryu and Lily turned to look at the person asking. It was a guy with blonde short hair and blue eyes wearing a light armor set. His plate was a silver one.

"Well, we came from a far away place and the writings here are different from what we are used to"

"In other words, we cannot read any of these!"

Lily said that with her tongue sticking out and embarrassed expression.

"Oh, let me help you then"

The guy then looked at the board, examining the papers one by one.

"Ah, I'm sorry, but it seems there's no copper job request now"

"I see. Thank you for the help, in any case"

"By the way, may I ask about your combat capability?"

 _Describing the basic spells Foie and Zonde_ _should be enough._

"Well, I can shoot a fireball or create lightning"

The guy looked surprised hearing Ryu's answer.

"Third tier magic? Are you for real?"

Ryu fully knew that third tier magic was rare among regular adventurers thanks to his conversation with Gazef, but he pretty much had no choice since those two were the most basic spells he could do.

"Still not perfect, but yes"

"I see. How about your companion here?"

"Her strength is comparable to mine"

"Nice! Hey, how does helping my team's job sounds to you?"

"Well, our pockets are almost empty so anything will do"

"Let's have an introduction with the others then"

He gave a hand signal to a group of three standing at a distance. The guy, along with the other three, then guided Ryu and Lily to a small meeting room upstairs.

In the meeting room, Ryu and Lily were intoduced to a team naming themselves The Swords of Darkness. The blonde guy was Peter, then there was Lukrut, Dyne, and Ninya. After the introduction Peter explained to Ryu about their plan to hunt wild monsters around the area, which was what they do for a living when there were no suitable jobs for them.

"As for splitting the rewards, we will split them evenly"

"Alright then"

The group then went downstairs back to the main hall. There was a little commotion there.

"Hmm? What's happening?"

Ryu walked closer to the source, and he saw the same dark warrior he had seen the day before, along with the Narberal look-alike companion. He was talking to a young man in a bowl-cut hair.

"Bodyguarding, huh? I see"

The dark warrior seemed to be thinking for a second, then his helmeted head just happened to turn to where Ryu stood. A small sign of surprise emerged from him, though none noticed it.

"You two"

The dark warrior said it with his head turned to Ryu and Lily.

"Do you want to take part in this job with me?"

"Wait, what?"

Lily expressed her surprise.

"Sorry, but I just agreed with this group behind me to help them in their job"

"I see. Then I will ask the same question to the entire group. Would you all like to put your current job on hold to take part in this job with me?"

"What do you think, Peter-san?"

"It's a bit strange, but I want to at least hear him out. Especially that the young man next to him is the very well known Nfirea Bareare"

The entire group plus the dark warrior, the Narberal look-alike, and the young man went back to the same conference room. The dark warrior was the one opening the conversation once the seats were filled.

"Let me introduce ourselves first. My name is... Momon, and this is my partner Nabe"

Momon seemed to hesitate right before telling his name, but none of the others paid any heed.

"This young man here specifically made a request for me by name. The job was to be his guardians during his trip to a forest, and help in harvesting herbs. There are only two of us, and I feel that amount is too few. Therefore I am pitching for more people to join us"

The conversation between Momon and Peter's group went on, but Ryu's mind was occupied from the moment Momon told everyone his name.

 _Momon... Momonga... Nabe... Narberal..._

Was it a coincidence? Or was Momon actually Ainz? Those two questions popped in Ryu's mind.

* * *

 _Crap... crap... why is he here too?_

Beneath the calm figure of Momon, inside the armor covering his body, Ainz was panicking out of his wits. Right now there was a huge risk of his cover getting blown. His own appearance was totally different, but Narberal's face was still the same as Ryu remembered.

 _I didn't delete his memory of my Momonga name because of the huge mana cost, now I really regret it._

Coming across Ryu again had been kept in mind for the masquerade Ainz was doing, but it happening inside the guild was the worst case scenario. Asking him to join was an attempt to separate him from the crowd, but it turned out he already had a group. Ainz could only follow up as best as he could to look natural.

Ainz did not worry about Ryu's companion because she had been specifically set up to forget everything related to Nazarick and its denizens, but Ryu himself has never been told about Ainz's plan to masquerade as an adventurer.

To prevent Narberal from blowing their cover, on the way to the conference room Ainz had whispered an order to her. That way she would pretend as if they have never met. But if Ryu mentioned her real name it would be all over.

Ainz took a glance towards Ryu once in a while. He had been speechless so far and seemed to be suspicious.

 _Crap crap crap! He really found us out! Please don't speak out or I will be forced to abort everything!_

"Nabe-san. You look familiar. Are you...?"

Ainz was ready to give up on his masquerade, but suddenly Lily interrupted the question.

"Ryu-san, they are the one we saw back then at the inn"

"I mean, before that"

"You are not familiar to me"

Narberal's answer was firm, but something must be done to lower his suspicion.

 _I have to signal him somehow._

"You have been speechless so far. While your partner has mentioned your name, I believe a proper introduction is necessary"

"Ah yes, sorry. I am Ryu and this is my partner Lily. I'm just wondering, have we met before?"

"I believe we haven't. Even if we have, I believe nothing significant happened back then that I don't remember. I suppose it is best not to try too hard to remember"

 _Please take the clue, please take the clue!_

"Alright, I will assume that this is the first time we meet. Sorry for interrupting the meeting"

Ryu's reply made Ainz relieved, as if a huge burden has been lifted off from him. He celebrated inside his mind that Ryu had taken the clue and responded perfectly.

* * *

Momon's answer did not confirm anything for Ryu. The possibility of it being just a coincidence was not zero. Still, he thought that it would be best to assume that Momon was Ainz or at least someone from Nazarick, and Nabe was Narberal, chosen to accompany Momon. In that case, staying near them for too long might end up accidentally blowing their cover. He should stay away from them as best as he could.

"I'm sorry but I am withdrawing from this job"

"What? Why?"

Peter was the one asking.

"Splitting the reward between three teams will leave very little for each of us. Your team is more suited for this job than mine"

"Aren't you short on cash? Will it be alright?"

"Don't worry. I will manage"

"If you say so, then alright"

Ryu stood up from his seat, and Lily followed. The two of them went down to the main hall of the guild and sat on a vacant seat.

"So, what are we gonna do?"

"Our best bet seem to be walking around in the wilderness and exterminate monsters"

"Let's do just that then!"

Lily seemed excited, but Ryu was not so. Their remaining money was just one silver and ten coppers. Considering food expenses, it might be enough to last for two or three days camping out. He could only hope he would find monsters of high value.

 _Ainz was right. I have been taking the facilities of Nazarick for granted._

"Excuse me, are you... Ryu and Lily?"

Someone suddenly asked that while Ryu was musing about his plans. Ryu looked at the person, and it turned out to be a group of five.

"Yes, and you are...?"

"You healed us yesterday"

The answer made Ryu remember, they were the five adventurers knocking on death's door last night.

"Oh, you are those five adventurers"

All of them were in the rank of Iron. Now that they were wearing their combat gear, Ryu could see the different roles they had.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Mat, the team's fighter"

Despite what he said about his role, he was not armored at all and his weapons seemed to be two daggers.

"I am Zeb, also a fighter"

Zeb wore some light armor, and his weapon seemed to be a katana.

"My name is Su. I am the team's warrior"

Su was a very tall woman compared to other people. Her equipment was a set of mace and shield. Her shield was quite battered, and her armor was not any better.

"I am Saku, the magic caster"

Saku was a girl just slightly taller than Lily. Standing next to Su made her seem very small, though.

"And I am Kusa, the ranger. Our name being similar was merely a coincidence"

Kusa's weapon was a crossbow. He wore light leather armor similar to Zeb. His remark was about his name and Saku's being just two syllables switching place.

Mat seemed to be the team's leader, or at least the one usually chosen to deal with other people.

"We would like to thank you for saving us"

"I just happened to be there needing shelter to sleep in"

"And it was exactly that which saved us all"

"In any case, why are you here? You're not here just specifically looking for me, right?"

"Actually, we just turned in our job"

"The one that made you knock on death's door?"

"Well, yeah. We bit off more than we can chew"

Mat looked embarrassed saying that. Zeb then added salt to the wound.

"Whose idea was that to take an ogre hunt job right after getting promoted to Iron?"

"Hey, we still made it, right?"

"Not worth it at all"

Su said it with flat tone.

"Anyway, even after taking the reward we will be still pretty broke. I wish we could repay you in more practical form, but unfortunately we can't"

It turned out that the healing fee last night was more than they had. They had to use the reward money they just got to pay the debt. At this point Ryu felt as he had been ripped off by the temple, despite the priest seeming like a very reasonable person.

"I'm also broke now, so we are pretty much in the same situation"

"Hey, wanna come with us?"

"What?"

"As of right now, there's a job for iron rank that is still a bit too dangerous for us. But if you come with us, maybe we can complete it safely"

"Just for your information, the healing spell I used on you has a one week cooldown"

"We know, the temple priest told us. We just figured that if you are able to come up with such abnormal spell, you must have strong normal magic in your arsenal, right?"

"Depends on if you think a fireball is strong"

"What?! Third tier magic?! You should be promoted to mithril already!"

"Well, I'm a traveler who just came so it can't be helped"

"So, what do you think? Wanna come with us for the job?"

"Sure, why not"

"Alrighty! I'm gonna take care of the paperwork then! Back in a flash!"

Mat ran to the board right away after saying that. The others just watched in silence.

"As lively as always"

Kusa said that with a bit of smile.

"I'll be in your care then"

Ryu stood up from his seat and gave his new partners a handshake. Lily did the same, and soon Mat came back. He had done the necessary paperwork and all they had to do was prepare the necessary supplies since the job would be a three day expedition. Ryu sincerely hoped that this would be a good start for his career as an adventurer.


	7. Intermission

**This is a short intermission story telling about Lily's origin.**

* * *

After sending Ryu to his bedroom, Ainz conjured another Gate spell to transport himself and all the guardians accompanying him to the throne room. Once everyone were transported, Albedo spoke out.

"Ainz-sama, forgive me for not having your supreme foresight, but I wish to know why you chose an Eight Edge Assassin to be Ryu-san's companion despite the possible problem my humble mind can think of"

 _Problem? What problem?_

Ainz had no idea at all about the point Albedo brought out, but he could not show to all guardians around him that he was not as smart as they highly thought of.

 _I have to craft a sentence quickly! Let's see..._

"I know very well, Albedo. But just in case, elaborate your concern to see if it is the same as mine"

"Yes, Ainz-sama. An Eight Edge Assassin is a humanoid spider, so of course he has to be invisible at all times in this world. That also means Ryu-san won't be able to see him or talk with him at all in public place. Isn't that defeating the purpose of a companion? In that way, Ryu-san might later see it as a false advertising"

 _Ah... she's right._

"That is correct, and that is why my plan goes beyond just simply giving the Eight Edge Assassin to him"

"Ooh, Ainz-sama! Truly the great mind of a Supreme Being! It is a great honor for me to be humbled by your cunning!"

 _Come on, think! What to do? Ah, maybe I can use..._

Ainz then pulled a bag from his item storage, and from that bag he pulled a scroll. Unlike common scrolls which were just a roll of paper with a rope, this one was rolled around a metal cylinder with ornamental ends. The visible back part of the paper itself was glossy with elaborate patterns instead of simply a plain paper.

It was a scroll Ainz had obtained in an in-game event long ago, back when the guild still had most of its members.

Despite the grand appearance and the actual rarity, the scroll was useless for him back in Yggdrasil.

[Conjure Dog]

The spell's effect was to conjure a permanent NPC to loyally accompany a master. The NPC never counts against any imposed limit such as guild base level limit, but they are defaulted to level 5 and cannot gain EXP through any means. They also have no job class, but have the ability to equip anything below level 50, though in high level play that means nothing.

Despite the spell's name, the summoned NPC was not a dog, but a human. The dog part of the name was to signify the loyalty of the NPC. They never complain no matter how harshly the master treats them, and the only way to part with them was their death.

Also, their death is permanent.

Unlike any other created NPC, the NPC summoned by this scroll would be permanently gone if they got killed. There's absolutely no way to revive them. The devs even bothered to give the NPC a melodramatic death scene to rub salt into the wound.

Unfortunately, they never last long in a game where PK-ing is common.

Ainz had heard cases of players begging the dev support to revive their companion, some even willing to pay an exorbitant price, and a few had even gone as far as raiding the devs HQ and taking hostage to demand it as an exchange.

Nevertheless, no members of Ainz Ooal Gown has ever used the scroll, with various reasons. Some just simply think it was outright useless, some others didn't want to add a human NPC in a guild of non-human, and other reasons they didn't want to tell.

Unlike most other items, this scroll is not transferrable between players, so the one in Ainz's hand was the only one he had.

 _Perhaps this is finally the time for this useless thing to shine_

Ainz opened the scroll and threw it to the air. Like any other scrolls, a flame appeared and consumed it whole. Normally, at this point a character creation interface would appear, but Ainz still did not know how it would work in this world.

Suddenly, Ainz's mind was filled with images of the creation process. It was hard to explain, as if he was both able and unable to comprehend it. In short, he could customize the creation right there and then.

 _I can't be bothered. I'll just randomize it_.

The images disappeared from Ainz's mind, and right in front of him, and everyone else, appeared a floating figure of a girl a lot shorter than himself. Her hair was blonde, straight, and pretty long. Her skin was almost as white as snow. The girl was still not awake yet.

Another image appeared in Ainz's mind. This time it asked Ainz to name her and determine her personality.

 _What a bother._

Ainz told the system to randomize the name from a stock of girl names, and also randomize the personality.

 _The result is... Lily, tomboy, lively. Whatever._

And with that, the creation process was done. At this point the NPC was still not awakened yet. She would stay standing still with eyes closed until the final step was done. However, she already could receive actions at this point such as equipping her with items.

That was what Ainz gonna do immediately because she was stark naked.

"Wait here until I return"

That was an order for the guardians around him. After saying that, Ainz teleported to the armory, picked up a set of level 48 armor and weapons he happened to find quickly, and teleported back into the throne room.

"Alright, this should do it"

Soon, Lily was equipped with the armor and weapon set. Still, her weak combat capability needed to be addressed.

"Come here"

The words were directed to the Eight Edge Assassin that had been with them.

"Yes, My Lord"

The spider creature approached as Ainz took another scroll from his bag. This time the scroll had the appearance of a common scroll.

[Reverse Assimilation]

The spell's effect was to get the caster assimilated into the target. The target then gains a portion of the caster's level, translated into general stat increase. The assimilated caster is always aware of his surroundings and can emerge from the target any time he wishes, but he can't control the target's actions. Emerging will undo the target's level increase and leave them incapacitated. Although expensive to acquire, the scroll has neither class nor race restrictions, can be casted on any non boss creatures or NPCs, and also had the convenience of still allowing communication type spells while in effect, so it is useful for PK-ers for ambushing unaware targets.

And that was exactly the reason scanning for any mob with higher level than normal was the first thing to do during farming a field. A different, risky tactic was to one-shot the suspicious mob since if the target gets killed with the caster still inside, the caster would emerge with only half HP and briefly stunned.

Ainz also gave the assassin one Message scroll.

"Use this Reverse Assimilation scroll on her. My order for you is to stay within her, watching Ryu's every move with the best of your ability. Use the Message scroll to contact me in emergency. Emerge from her only if your judgement sees the situation as absolutely necessary to do so"

"Understood, My Lord"

The Eight Edge Assassin used the Reverse Assimilation scroll. He then became a wisp of light and got absorbed into Lily. Ainz then appraised her level.

 _About level 25. Still weak but should be more than enough for this world's power scale_.

"Now all is left to do is to seal the pact with Ryu being present as the assigned master, and there he got the companion I promised"

"Magnificent, Ainz-sama! I am truly humbled by your great foresight!"

"As expected of Ainz-sama. With this there is no risk of the Eight Edge Assassin getting detected by any means. Truly a magnificent plan"

"A. Great. Mind. Worthy. Of. A. Supreme. Being"

Without saying a word about the praises coming from the guardians, Ainz walked to the throne and sat there. He let out a sigh in his mind.

 _Giving an exclusive event item to him just to keep my appearance to the guardians..._

Ainz then just decided to think about his future plans while waiting for Ryu to arrive. There were many things to do and information to gather in this mysterious world he had been transported to.

* * *

 **Character Sheet:**

 **Name:** Lily Vangraf

 **Height:** 148 cm

 **Appearance:** 00m dot deviantart dot com/art/Lily-737314986 (This site is bad with links so just replace the "dot" with actual dots and remove the spaces)

 **Class:** LoyalDog (Level 5), The Creature Within (Level 20)

 **Equipment:** Winged Helmet of Vedrfolnir, Breastplate of Vedrfolnir (With cape), Gauntlets of Vedrfolnir, Greaves of Vedrfolnir, Twin Swords of Vedrfolnir, Simple Red Shirt, Simple Black Shorts, Simple Black Socks

 **Special Perks:**

*. Vedrfolnir's Flight (5 pieces): Substantial increase of agility and stamina

*. The Creature Within: Increase of all stats according to level


	8. Chapter 6: Bloodied Village

**Hi all, author here. Happy belated Lunar New Year for those who celebrate.**

 **So far the S2 episodes I've watched seemed faithful, although I do notice some discrepancies from the LN or even the manga. One jarring example for me in the latest episode was Sebas having a second Shadow Demon which is never mentioned in the LN.**

 **Rant aside, here is the next chapter. Sorry in advance that canon Overlord characters don't appear this time.**

* * *

"Where do you come from?"

"Somewhere far away"

That was the most sensible answer Ryu could come up when asked with that question. There was no way anyone would believe that he was from a space traveling army. Well, Ainz was a special case.

"That's very broad. Be more specific?"

"It doesn't matter, Mat. The place doesn't exist anymore. A great disaster erased it"

In a sense, the answer was not a lie. Ryu knew very well that Ur ship has been destroyed by a Dark Falz. This answer was the same as what he had told Gazef back then at Carne Village. At least he had to be consistent to not create a hole in his fabricated backstory.

"Ah, I'm sorry"

"It's alright"

The group kept on walking towards the location of their objective. Their current job was to respond to a village which had spotted traces of goblins in their vicinity. There was a possibility that a new goblin nest had emerged nearby, and their job was to scout for it and eradicate the nest if found.

"How strong are goblins usually?"

"The most common ones are weak, even an untrained villager still has a chance to win if he has something to use as a weapon"

Mat's answer created a question in Ryu's mind. But before he could ask, Saku gave the answer.

"Their strength is in numbers. Also, they often work together with ogres"

"Aren't you all still having difficulties against ogres?"

"If only one or two, we can still manage. The thing is, that time we got ambushed by three and a squad of goblins"

"I was careless"

"Not your fault, Kusa. We were already pretty exhausted"

Goblins and Ogres. They were among the most common creatures in any fantasy story settings. Ryu has never fought any of them before, but he was pretty sure he could defeat them easily, even if his photon techs had not been mysteriously empowered.

The group's plan for the job was to arrive at the village before dark, spend the night there, and then begin searching in the following morning.

The trip towards the village went on without any significant thing happening. The group stopped to rest and eat once in a while, sometimes passing by a merchant caravan or another adventurer group, all while having idle conversations and not encountering any hostiles.

"We should be arriving soon"

Mat said that while looking at the surroundings. The sun was already close enough to the horizon, but thankfully their trip was towards the East in general, so their view didn't get blinded.

"Wait!"

Kusa made a signal for everyone to stop. Everyone else stopped and took battle stance without questioning the sudden signal. It was clear for Ryu that Kusa was highly trusted by everyone.

"I sense... blood, and death"

"Don't tell me-"

Ryu could grasp what Mat was thinking after Kusa told him what he had sensed. The village they were going to was near, and that could only mean...

"Should we hurry?"

"Yes, but remain vigilant. I'm counting on you, Kusa"

The group advanced again with increased pace while still keeping their eyes open to the surroundings. They were walking near the edge of a forest to their left, so there was a chance of an ambush coming from there. To their right was an open plain, so any incoming hostile would be visible from far away. Nevertheless, Kusa sharpened his senses towards all directions.

The village they were going to was right after turning left where the forest edge curved a bit, and when they made the turn, the village was visible to them.

To be exact, what had been a village was visible to them.

Dead bodies of men and children were all over the place, most of them were mutilated, trashed, and abandoned like garbage. Some were hanged on large trees and they were still dripping fresh blood. Stench of blood covered the entire place.

Mot Village, that was the name of the village that would soon be erased from Kingdom's logs. It was smaller than Carne Village, roughly only half as large. Yet, the massacre here was worse than what Ryu had seen back then in Carne.

"I feel sick"

"We all are, Ryu-san"

Indeed, Su answered while sounding like she was ready to puke anytime. Everybody else was as pale as her, struggling to hold their vomit in.

"Should we look for survivors?"

"Yes, but stick together. Whoever did this might be still here. Be ready to retreat anytime"

The group then combed the village, searching for any survivors that might know what had happened. Unfortunately, any human they found was already dead. After making sure, they closed all doors and windows of the last house they searched and took shelter there. They were lucky that this particular house didn't have any dead body inside.

Inside the house was naturally dark because the sun had set already. None of the group could see each other, except Kusa who had limited dark vision. Therefore, Saku conjured a small wisp of light which provided a limited illumination.

"I can't believe this! If only we could arrive sooner!"

"We would be among those bodies in that case"

Zeb's reply on Mat's frustration was spoken in a flat, yet straight tone. Meanwhile, Ryu had no idea at all about what had happened.

"Can anyone tell me what happened?"

Saku was the first to answer Ryu's question.

"This village has been raided by a goblin horde, and just recently"

Mat then added the answer.

"We can easily tell from these three points: One, the houses had been looted clean of food but money still remains. Two, the gruesome condition of the corpses. And three, there are almost no woman corpse at all"

Lily was surprised by the explanation. Out of the surprise, she spoke.

"Wait, the last one. Are you telling me..."

"Yeah, many women were brought to the nest for... I better not continue this"

Hearing that, Lily suddenly went into rage.

"We have to rescue them now!"

"No, Lily! We should stay here!"

"But, Ryu-san...!"

"Lily, I need you to calm yourself, sit down, and hear me out"

"Uhh... alright..."

"As of right now, we have no idea how many of them are out there. Recklessly going into pursuit will get you in trouble. Moreover, I believe goblins can see in the dark, right Mat?"

"True"

"See, we will be at a major disadvantage going at this time"

"Lily-san. I'm sorry to be a bearer of bad news, but we can't save them"

"Why, Saku-san?"

"The goblins usually kill the women once they have their way with them. Unless we raid their nest tonight, which we can't do, they all will be dead by morning"

"W-why this has to happen...?"

Lily started to break down crying. She wanted to save the people, but she couldn't. Seeing this, Ryu hugged her trying to ease her burden.

"It is what it is, Lily. Sometimes terrible things happen and there's nothing we can do about it"

 _I don't want to get too attached to her, but at this rate it can't be helped_.

"By the way, knowing all those things... this is not your first time, is it?"

"Indeed"

Su was the one answering.

"We haven't told you the full story of our last job"

"The ogre hunt?"

"Mat, please do this for me"

"Alright"

Mat then told Ryu and Lily the full story of the job that brought them knocking on death's door. Just like this time, the village where the request came from had been raided by goblins when the group arrived. The difference was that the group arrived early in the morning and there were survivors to tell the tale. They immediately went on a pursuit to the goblin nest in the woods.

They managed to find the nest, but all of the abducted women were already dead when they were done exterminating the goblins and ogres inside. At this point the party was already exhausted, and they got ambushed by a squad which had been away from the nest. It was a sheer luck that they held the line long enough for another adventurer group to arrive and save them at the last moment.

"We might have exhausted our lifetime supply of luck coming out of there alive"

"So, what's the best course of action at this point?"

"Wait until morning and go search the woods by then. Though the problem is, we were broke and expecting to eat dinner from the village's food, and now we can't eat anything. I hope we won't be too hungry to fight tomorrow"

"!"

Suddenly Kusa seemed to notice something.

"Everyone, be quiet. Saku, dispel the light"

Everybody went silent and the room became dark. Further talks had to be done in low voice.

"I sense... four... no. Five"

Kusa tried hard to discern the source of whatever which was approaching.

"Three goblins and two ogres..."

"We can take them on, right?"

"Indeed, Ryu-san. But they are probably patrols. If we kill them the rest will notice their disappearance and come to attack"

Mat's answer made sense. If they kill the nearby patrol they will pretty much have to fight the entire horde.

"Ssh! They are right in front of the house next door"

Kusa's warning made everyone fell to complete silence. The patrol group were already close enough that Kusa's superior sense as a Ranger was no longer needed to hear the sounds they make.

Everyone silently spread themselves across the room posing a battle-ready stance. The footsteps of the patrol came closer, and they stopped right in front of the house.

Everyone hoped that they would go away. Indeed that the group was strong enough to take the five creatures down with ease, but for the situation it was best to avoid any fight. The silence felt like forever to them.

 **CRASH!**

With a loud sound, the front door of the house was kicked open. It was one of the ogres. The ogre was naturally taller than humans, so from the opened door nobody could see its head. A goblin was standing right in front of the door opening.

Saku immediately casted a light spell to illuminate the room. Kusa followed with a single shot from his crossbow, aimed at the goblin. Unfortunately, the goblin evaded, but the bolt still hit the left thigh of the ogre behind it.

"Get out of the door once I open the way"

Su said that, and she put her shield in front of her.

[Bull Rush]

An aura of reddish color enveloped her, and she charged towards the goblin and ogre at the door. All of them were thrown away by her charge, and now the door was wide open after she got through.

Mat and Zeb were the fastest to get out, followed by Lily, Kusa, Ryu, and finally Saku.

When Ryu got out, what he saw was exactly as Kusa had sensed. There were three goblins and two ogres. The ogre that had been shot by Kusa were still down after being thrown by Su's charge, but it was still awake. It would soon get up and fight.

"Ryu-san, Lily-san. Can we trust you to take out the other ogre?"

"Leave it to us, Mat-san"

Lily's answer was spoken in a determined tone. She definitely has gotten serious. She immediately pulled the other sword that had been sheathed in her right side, changing her stance from sword and shield combination into dual wielding swords.

Lily quickly closed her distance to the other ogre. The ogre wielded a large wooden club that would definitely crack anyone's skull. Without waiting, the ogre attacked by swinging the club downwards. She evaded by moving to the right, and she quickly made a 360 degree spin, slicing the ogre's left leg off at the knee. The ogre fell down to its knees with a scream of pain. Without giving it any chance, she jumped to the back of the ogre and gave it a backstab with both swords, impaling it clean through. The ogre spurted blood from its mouth and fell down faceplanted to the ground. Life had left its body.

Ryu was speechless. He didn't even got any chance to cast any photon tech because Lily defeated the ogre so quickly.

 _How strong is she really?_

Ryu thought that while she was pulling her swords from the ogre's body, but it was not the right time to think about it. He had to make sure the others were doing fine.

[Flash]

Zeb was enveloped in the same reddish aura like Su earlier. Within an instant, one goblin right in front of him was beheaded. Ryu didn't even see his katana drawn.

[Twin Magic: Magic Arrow]

Two bolts of magic energy appeared from Saku's wand, quickly impaling the other two goblins.

[Repeater]

Kusa shot two bolts in quick succession from his crossbow, even though his crossbow was not designed to fit two bolts like that. The bolts were aimed at the remaining ogre's face. One bolt missed but the other hit one eye. The ogre roared in pain, flailing its club around. Su parried all the strikes with her shield. Mat timed his jump to land on the ogre's shoulder, and then he quickly slit its throat with his dagger and jumped upwards.

[Talon Dive]

With the help of gravity, Mat sliced the ogre's back downwards with both daggers. The ogre fell down to its knees, bloody and badly beaten up, but it was still alive. It would bleed out eventually, but Ryu decided to give it a quick death.

 _Grants!_

Multiple spears of light appeared around and above the ogre, and all of them impaled it in quick succession, then disappeared without a trace. There were no holes from the impale points, but now the ogre was completely lifeless. Its body fell down faceplanted to the ground like the other ogre.

"Everyone okay?"

Mat was the one inquiring.

"It seems so"

Su said it while looking around her.

"Wow, Ryu-san! What was that magic? I have never seen it before!"

Saku asked that, looking curious.

"Umm... Magic Arrow, modified to focus a single target"

Ryu himself was not even sure if his fabricated answer made sense. He should change the topic before he got inquired any further.

"Anyway, what should we do now?"

"You know what they say, just jump into the water if you're already wet"

"So we raid the nest I suppose, Mat"

"Yep, and quickly, so they don't get to prepare"

"Let's go then"

The group then went into the woods looking for the goblin nest. Naturally, Kusa had to put a lot of effort because moonlight had to struggle to reach them under all the trees. They couldn't light a torch because it would alert the goblins sooner, so the advancement was pretty slow.

"!"

Kusa noticed something. He gave a signal for everyone else to stop and lay low.

"Saku, give me that"

"Alright"

[Dark Vision]

Saku casted a spell to give Kusa the ability to see in the dark. This indirectly enhanced his range of recon.

"At least 50 of them... They are having a party with all the looted food and drink from the village"

"What about the women?"

"I see none, but I see a cave further behind that group. They probably kept them there for... after party"

The Dark Vision spell only lasted for a minute, but it was enought for Kusa to gather intel about the horde they were going to face. Everyone looked worried, though.

"At least 50 goblins and 12 ogres? Much more than we expect. Our chances are slim"

"Do you think we should retreat and abandon the job?"

"Probably. I feel bad for the abducted women, but as of right now trying to rescue them will only add more casualties"

"Hmm..."

Ryu actually could defeat them all easily, but doing it would expose a good portion of his actual power. Saving people's lives was more important, though, so he decided to do it. He took something from one pocket of his suit. It was a large feather, the color of which was orange and yellow.

"What is that, Ryu-san?"

"A magic artifact. I think this is the right time to use it"

It was a lie, though. It was actually another weapon type that could be used by ARKS operatives of Force and Techer class, namely a Talis. This particular Talis, the name of which was Gal Wind, was a high level weapon said to be made from the feathers of a legendary beast known with the name of Gal Gryphon.

"Kusa, how far are they from here?"

"About two hundred meters"

"That way?"

"Yes"

"Alright. Saku, please give Kusa the dark vision once more"

"Sure"

[Dark Vision]

Ryu channeled his photon energy into the feather and threw it towards the place where the horde was gathered. The feather flew away in an unnaturally straight line leaving small light sparkles on its way.

"Please sense the feather and tell me once it is right in the middle of the crowd"

"Alright"

Ten seconds later, Kusa gave the signal.

"There!"

Ryu then charged photon energy to prepare a tech, and casted it. The feather stopped in mid air at this point.

 _Zondeel_

"What? All the goblins and ogres were pulled into the feather like it is sucking all of them"

 _Nazonde_

"Now a huge ball of lightning appeared right there. All of them were fried"

"We all know, Kusa. We can see it from here too"

Immediately after Mat said that, the feather appeared with a flicker of light in Ryu's hand and he put it back into his pocket.

"W-what was that?"

Saku was too astonished by what she had just witnessed, she couldn't speak without stuttering.

"It's a magic artifact I found a long time ago. It needs about a month to recharge, though"

Of course it was a lie. Ryu could use his talis anytime he wanted. Generally, a talis is weaker than a rod, but its main selling point is the ability to act as a tech caster in place of the actual caster. The two techs Ryu had just used normally only takes effect around the caster, but a talis enables him to cast them at range.

"I have never heard of a magic artifact like that. Usually such item takes the form of a crystal, and once you use it, it is consumed"

"I guess I got lucky then. Nevertheless, let's go and rescue the women"

Ryu tried to change the subject before he got inquired further and had to stack more lies. Thankfully, the current situation helped and the group immediately agreed.

The group advanced towards the cave behind the stack of fried goblin and ogre corpses while still remaining vigilant in case there were any other away squads like the one they had faced back in the ruined village. The closer they got, the more they could smell the toasted bodies.

They ignored the smell anyway and proceeded to the cave. The cave was narrow but still wide enough for three people to walk side by side with some room to spare. Mat gave a short briefing before they entered.

"Kusa, take the front with me. Lily-san and Ryu-san, please watch our back. Zeb, Su, and Saku will be in the middle providing combat assistance when necessary"

The group entered the cave with the planned formation. Saku's wisps of light provided illumination as they advance. However, It turned out the plan was not necessary because the cave was only about two hundred meters deep with a wide round space at the end.

Kusa sensed faint human presence but no goblins or ogres, so Saku casted more of the wisps to enable everyone to see the wide space.

What came into their sight flooded them with one emotion.

Relief

They saw about ten women there. All of them were bound and gagged but none has been violated by the creatures because they all were still wearing their clothes.

Still, the fact that all these women had lost their loved ones still remained. After released, half of them broke down crying and some lashed out at the group for being too late. To make matters worse, evacuating this many women in the darkness of night was impossible, so they had to spend the night in that cave.

After what felt like forever, morning finally came. Saku was already exhausted having to maintain the light wisps throughout the night. Kusa was as beat up as her because as the only ranger he had to maintain surveillance.

It took some time, but the group managed to evacuate the women out of the woods and they had been blessed by luck, coming across a traveling merchant group willing to let them ride their wagons.

The sun was still pretty high, but they already reached E-Rantel. After brief talking with the gate guard, it was decided that the women survivors would be taken in by the officials.

After settling things with the guards, the group went back to Adventurer's Guild to turn in their job.

"Sit down somewhere, Ryu-san and Lily-san. We'll take care of the paperwork"

Ryu sat down on a vacant seat, and Lily sat next to him. He expected the payout to be low since they pretty much failed to protect the village.

 _I guess I have to sleep in the temple again tonight, or just camp out again._

Truthfully, he already missed the comfortable bed in Nazarick. A feeling of regret was starting to fill his mind, but he knew too well that he could not go back on his words.

"Hey, Ryu-san"

"Oh, Mat. Already done?"

"Yep, here's your share"

Mat presented a small bag to Ryu. Ryu took it and looked at the contents.

"What?"

Ryu was surprised to see that the bag was filled with silver coins. Lily was also surprised, her mouth went agape at the amount of silver inside the bag. There were at least twenty, or maybe even thirty coins inside the bag.

"We're sorry if it is too little for you"

"Are you kidding? This is a lot! Right, Ryu-san?"

"Yes, this is a lot. Why?"

"You killed many goblins and ogres, so that's your worth of work"

"I thought we failed the job because the village is now gone"

"The job was not to protect the village, Ryu-san"

Mat laughed a little. At this point Ryu remembered that the job was to scout for goblin nest and eradicate them if possible, and the group had done exactly that.

"Oh yes, indeed. What about you guys?"

"Not as much payout as you, but enough to last a week even if we don't take any jobs in the meantime"

"I see"

"Therefore, for today and maybe tomorrow as well, we will rest to recuperate. Especially Saku and Kusa. They are at their limits already"

Mat took a glance at Kusa and Saku while saying those. Indeed, both of them might as well be sleepwalking that their current state.

"Thank you, Mat, everyone"

"No, we are the ones who should thank you. Without you, we wouldn't have this amount of payout. Moreover, we would just repeat our history"

The others nod in agreement.

"See you again sometime later, Ryu-san, Lily-san. Good luck!"

The five adventurers then left the building. Ryu was glad that his first job as an adventurer in this world turned out to end well, and he hoped that his future jobs would end the same way.

* * *

 **Note from Author:**

 **The five adventurers are cameos of my clanmates during my time in PSO2 game. As of now there's no plan for them to appear again or play any major role.**

 **Chronologically, by the time this chapter ends, Ainz is still at Carne Village, subduing Hamsuke at some point.**


	9. Chapter 7: Underestimated

**I don't know how the notification system works here, but I have just recently (March 6th 2018) edited this chapter to correct some glaring mistakes I noticed. If anyone following got some notification or such, I'm sorry to say that there is still nothing new yet.**

* * *

 **Hi all, author here.**

 **After moving this story into crossover section and observing for a while, I decided to move back to the regular section. The crossover section was pretty dry and it seemed like there was nobody from the Phantasy Star section coming at all.** **In short, lack of visitors.**

 **I will try my best to not include outside materials other than Ryu's combat spells and a few quirks.**

 **In any case, here is the next chapter**

* * *

"Good morning, Ryu-san!"

Ryu was still barely awake when Lily said that. He really wanted to sleep again, but he also felt that he shouldn't. With a little bit of forcing, he got up into sitting position on his bed. His sleepwear was a knee-length black boxer and a plain white T-shirt.

"Good morning, Lily"

Ryu looked at his companion. It was pretty clear that she just woke up as well. Her hair was still loose and a little messed up like a bed hair normally was. Also, she was still not wearing her armor.

"Did you sleep well, Ryu-san?"

"Of course. It really feels good"

Ryu was glad that he had obtained a good amount of payout from his first job. Thanks to that he had paid his entry fee debt to the guild and still had more than enough to stay at a better inn than the one he had visited back then. This inn he was staying at was a bit expensive, charging two silvers per night for this double room, but it was overall better than the temple. Also, the fee included simple meal course twice a day on request.

The amount of money Ryu had was enough to stay in this inn for around two weeks without taking any more jobs. Therefore, like the five adventurers who were with him yesterday, Ryu decided to rest for two or three days.

"So what are we gonna do today?"

"Well, first, getting out of this bed"

Ryu stood up from the bed and stretched his arms.

"And then..."

Within a blink of an eye, Ryu's clothes changed into his usual priest-like suit, complete with the hat, gloves, and shoes.

"... get dressed"

"If only I can do it like you, Ryu-san"

Lily chuckled after saying her remark about Ryu's convenient way of changing clothes. Photon clothing is indeed convenient like that, and it doesn't affect the performance of photon armor, which is why some ARKS operatives felt free to wear weird or eccentric outfits into battle. Ryu was not among those operatives though, preferring elegant outfits that suit his combat role as spellcaster.

Nevertheless, the question of what to do today still remained. Ryu went towards the window to look outside. His room was located on the second floor of the inn building, so he could have a wide view of the streets and the market area at a distance.

The sky was still not too bright, the time being still dawn and all, but he could see people already busy with their activities. Merchants setting up shop, commoners, adventurers walking towards the guild, and town guards patrolling.

Ryu noticed one group of guards across the street. One of them, seemingly a higher rank, was reading a written report from a patrol group. Seeing that made Ryu remember the basic problem he had back at the guild. Being illiterate of this world's written language was a significant hindrance and would hurt him in the long run.

"I think we should find someone to teach us how to read. What do you think, Lily?"

"Great idea, Ryu-san! That way we will be able to look at jobs ourselves!"

"Let's go to the guild and see if someone can help us"

After having breakfast downstairs, Ryu and Lily went to the Adventurer's Guild. They went to the receptionist desk immediately.

"Welcome back. How may I help you?"

"We're looking for someone who can teach us how to read. Do you know where I can find such person?"

"In that case, you can go to the temple. Alternatively, you can also make it a job request here"

Ryu pondered on the options. If possible, he didn't want to go back to the temple again. However, the alternative was a bit strange. Posting a totally non-combat job in a guild filled with people who go into combat for a living felt out of place. Moreover, he had no idea how much money he should post as the reward.

Still, the latter option might be more practical. The main purpose of learning to read was so he and Lily would be able to take a look at jobs themselves. What teacher would be better other than fellow adventurers?

"I will take the second option"

"Tell me the message you would like to post, your contact location, and the reward"

"Just make it simple like 'a fellow adventurer looking for someone to teach how to read' or something to that effect. My contact location would be the Silver Star Inn. As for the reward... do you have a recommendation? I honestly have no idea how much this is worth"

"In that case, it can be set as 'on agreement' so you will negotiate with the one accepting"

Ryu was about to agree, but suddenly...

"I will take that job"

Ryu turned around to look at the person who just spoke. It was a pretty young girl, though not as young-looking as Lily. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, a common trait of local residents. Her hair was cut short, barely reaching her shoulders. Her eyes were half closed, as if she was very tired and could fall asleep anytime. Her clothing was light and simple, telling the implication that she was a magic caster. Her plate was of gold color.

"You are..."

"Alice... Alice Vegelshaft. Just call me Liz"

She said that while yawning.

"You need someone to teach you how to read, right?"

 _Am I going to learn anything if the teacher is a sleepyhead like this?_

"You're doubting because I'm a sleepyhead"

That remark caught Ryu by surprise. Either she was a mind reader, or she was just good at reading people.

"Well, aren't there better jobs for you? I mean, you're gold"

"My party is out of commission and I can't be bothered to go out there..."

Ryu turned back to the receptionist lady.

"Do you know her? Is she suitable for the job?"

"If it is her... I highly recommend it"

Ryu turned back to Alice.

"So... do you want me to do the job?"

"How much do you want for the reward?"

"Just do me a simple favor. I don't want your money..."

She yawned again.

"What kind of favor?"

"Something simple that will be over within minutes. You have my word..."

Yawning after every sentence seemed to be her habit. At this point Ryu was starting to get used to it. He pondered on it for twenty good seconds before coming to a decision.

"Alright. I will hire you"

"Good..."

Ryu turned back to the receptionist.

"How do we handle this?"

"Since the job isn't officially posted yet, I will ignore this and consider this as fellow adventurers helping each other. You don't need to do anything further in this regard"

"Thank you"

Alice approached the receptionist and yawned again before she started to speak.

"Can I have unused copies of job papers? Preferably one each of every rank..."

"Sure, please wait for a moment"

The receptionist lady went to a shelf at the back and took some papers. She then put a black stamp over each and handed them to Alice.

"These are papers of jobs which have been completed. They all have been documented so you don't need to return them"

"Thanks... now Ryu-san, Lily-san, let's go"

"Uhh... go where?"

"The place where you sleep. Where else?"

The three of them then left the guild building and went to the room Ryu had rented in Silver Star Inn. There was a small table near the beds, and Alice put the papers on it.

"Now let's begin..."

Alice took something from her dress. It seemed to be this world's equivalent of pen and ink. She put them on the table and flipped one sheet of paper to use the blank back side.

"Tell me... what are the characters of the written language you know? Write them down here"

Ryu complied her, writing all 26 characters of alphabet from A to Z, numbers from 0 to 9, and commonly used marks such as comma, dot, and apostrophe.

Alice looked at them for a minute. Her eyes were still as sleepy as ever. She then took another sheet and put the blank back side up.

"I will write down each adventurer rank from copper to adamantite. Write them down in your language once I'm done"

She did what she said, and Ryu followed, writing each rank name below Alice's writing. She looked at them for another minute, and took another sheet.

"Now try to write a sentence that uses most, preferably all, the characters. Don't tell me what you write"

 _The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog._

That was the classic sentence Ryu knew that contains all letters. After Ryu wrote it down, Alice looked at them for ten seconds.

"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog, isn't it?"

Both Ryu and Lily got surprised, and Lily was the first to jump out.

"Whaaat?! Did you- did you just learned our written language?!"

"Yes, it is quite simple so I can learn it easily..."

"That's still impressive no matter how you look at it"

"Nevertheless..."

Alice then wrote something right below the sentence Ryu had written. It might be the same sentence in local language, but Ryu could never confirm it as of currently.

"I will tell you something about myself... I can learn your language quickly because I am a talent holder"

"Talent holder?"

Lily was completely unfamiliar, but Ryu actually had a little bit of knowledge about that thanks to his conversation with Gazef back then. Although the word is the same, in this case the term 'Talent' means an innate, supernatural ability only about one of two hundred people have. Talent is gained at birth and cannot be changed no matter what.

"I will guess that your talent is something like language comprehension?"

"Yes, as long as correct comparisons exists, I can do what I just did..."

"So, how will it help us to learn your written language?"

After hearing Ryu's question, Liz's right hand projected a small magic circle, and then she offered it as if she was asking for a handshake.

"You two, hold my hand..."

Ryu and Lily looked at each other and nodded. They held Liz's hand together, and the magic circle seemed to fade away gradually until it completely disappeared.

"Look at the front side of the sheets now"

"Don't tell me..."

Ryu flipped all the job sheets that had been flipped. He couldn't believe his eyes. He just suddenly became able to fully comprehend all the written language of this world.

"Whaaaat?! Since when I could read all these?!"

Lily obviously was as surprised as Ryu, though she had no hesitation to express it. Ryu flipped some of the sheets to the back side, and indeed he now could read what Liz had just written there.

"That was part of my talent. Whenever I learn a new language I can make someone else learn mine"

"You have no idea how grateful I am. What should we do to repay you?"

"That simple favor... Just let me sleep here for a while..."

"What? Is that it? I mean, the value seems... unbalanced"

"I learned your language and you learned mine... That is already an equivalent exchange..."

Alice went to climb Lily's bed and fell asleep on it almost immediately.

"Well, she is right in a sense but... still feels weird, doesn't it Ryu-san?"

"Yeah... indeed"

It was still in the middle of the day, but the one problem they had just vanished in an instant like that. They definitely had struck gold on this matter.

"What are we gonna do now, Ryu-san?"

"Let's just go outside and let her sleep as much as she wants. I will write a message for her to see once she wakes up"

Ryu then wrote a short letter using Liz's pen, telling her to use the room as much as she liked if they have not returned by the time she wakes up. After that, he and Lily quietly went out from the room.

"Let's go to the plains outside. Just for some walk"

"Sure, Ryu-san"

"By the way, this has been going for a while, but could you just drop the honorific? We are partners"

Lily looked flustered hearing what Ryu just said.

"I... I can't do that. That would be disrespecting"

Ryu sighed. He had no idea what kind of oath Ainz had her sworn on. All he knew was that when he arrived in the throne room he was presented with standing still, motionless Lily. Without giving a chance to ask, Ainz casted some kind of spell to Ryu and conjured a dark portal.

 _It will be best if she doesn't see me and my guardians when she wakes up, so you better go immediately. I wish you luck in your future endeavors, Ryu-san_

That was the last thing Ryu heard from Ainz before he was hurried into the portal with still-motionless Lily. She woke up immediately after crossing the portal, and she knelt to Ryu, introducing herself and pledging her loyalty.

Ryu had told her to behave naturally and consider him as a partner, which she thankfully had been doing so. However, she still wouldn't drop the honorific no matter what.

After buying some food they could carry for lunch, the two of them walked all the way to the gates of E-Rantel and then to a nearby open field where the city wall was still within sight and far enough from the main road that nobody else would pass by. They were pretty much alone at this point.

"Lily"

"Yes, Ryu-san?"

"If I haven't told you to consider me as partner, what am I to you?"

Lily was silent for a second, then she knelt again like back then.

"You are the one, to whom I swear my absolute loyalty until the day I die"

Her answer was straight, and her eyes were filled with determination. Everything felt very awkward for Ryu, and he hoped nobody was watching.

"Who made you do that oath?"

"My creator"

"Who is your creator?"

Ryu could guess that it was definitely Ainz, but he wanted to see Lily's answer to that question.

"I have no idea at all about my creator. I only know for sure that my purpose is to serve the one he had chosen. And that person is you, Ryu-san"

Ryu's feelings were mixed. From her answers he could make a conclusion that Lily was a summoned creature of some kind. However, she was very human compared to most denizens of Nazarick. She had basic necessities like any other human, and she definitely had her own personality. But her so called absolute loyalty felt somewhat... restrictive.

"Lily, if I told you that you are free to go, what would you do?"

"I will choose to continue serving you"

"What about if I command you to stop serving me? What would you do then?"

"I will do nothing. I will just lie down and wait for death, because I have lost my purpose in life"

 _Seriously? This is getting out of hand_

Ryu let out of sigh, looking at the cruel fate of his partner. He really could not get any idea if her personality was real or she was merely an animated creature with fabricated personality, without her own free will.

"Ryu-san"

"Uhh, yes?"

Ryu was a bit startled. He just realized that he had taken a while pondering.

"You will not abandon me, right?"

Lily asked that question with a worried, round eyed face. With that kind of face, anyone with half a heart would never say no.

"O-Of course not! We are partners and it will continue that way!"

"Thank you, Ryu-san. I feel relieved that I can continue to have a purpose in my life"

Lily said that with a relieved, smiling face.

 _Seriously, Ainz? Did you intend me to die melting from cuteness overload?_

"A-anyway, let's sit down here and have lunch"

Ryu sat down in front of Lily, who was changing her stance from kneeling to sitting. They had lunch there as if they had a quick picnic.

The next hours were spend walking around doing nothing significant. Both of them had no idea what to do, and there was no reason to go back to the inn, so they just kept walking away from E-Rantel, observing the people they passed by.

"Hey, isn't that...?"

Ryu looked at what Lily had just seen. At a distance, a group of familiar people were approaching. It was the Swords of Darkness group, Momon, Nabe, and Nfirea. What caught Ryu's eyes the most was the fact that Momon was riding a large creature.

To be exact, it was a giant hamster.

As they came closer, the approaching group seemed to notice Ryu and Lily. Peter and Lukrut waved their hand at Ryu and Lily, and they both also waved their hand in reply.

Ryu approached the group and as he got closer he noticed that the wagon Nfirea was driving was filled to the brim with many kinds of picked plant life. Ryu was not well versed in this matter, but at least he could make a guess that those were potion ingredients.

"Ah, Ryu-san and the cute-as-ever Lily-san. It's been a while since we last met. How are you doing?"

Lukrut was still as cheerful as ever.

"We're good. We met a group of Iron rank and did a job together"

Peter and also the rest of the group seemed happy hearing that.

"That's good to hear. Where are you going now? Another job?"

"We're just walking around and about to go back to E-Rantel when we saw you guys"

"Ha! What a happy coincidence! Let's walk home together then!"

Of course Ryu agreed with Dyne's remark.

"By the way, Momon-san. May I ask about your ride?"

To Ryu and Lily's surprise, the giant hamster talked.

"The name's Hamsuke, this milord here, he defeated me and now I am his servant"

"W-whaaaaat?! It talked?"

Lily didn't hold back at all in expressing her surprise.

"Momon-san is really impressive. This majestic beast is a legend named The Wise King of The Forest, and he tamed it just like that"

Peter's short explanation felt confusing for Ryu. While the size was large and its tail was a large snake, the fact that this creature was a giant hamster still remained. Momon riding it didn't look that majestic in Ryu's eyes.

"Hamsuke, I'm coming down for a while"

"Oh, yes, milord"

Momon jumped off from Hamsuke and approached Ryu.

"Ryu-san, come talk with me for a moment. Just the two of us. You guys just keep walking. I will catch up"

"Alright, Momon-san"

After telling Lily to stay with the group, Ryu walked a fair distance from the main road with Momon until pretty much nobody was near enough to hear them.

"Ryu-san. I want to ask. What do you think of her? I mean, Hamsuke"

"She is... a giant hamster?"

"Right?! You think so, too, don't you?!"

Momon looked a bit weird. His tone seemed like he had been holding something in his mind and now he was letting it out.

"What's the matter, Momon-san?"

"Finally someone agrees with me! Everybody else thought of Hamsuke as a majestic beast, like a steed of great honor! They pushed me to ride her, and you know how I feel?"

"Well, if you ask me, if I were in your position I would feel awkward"

"I know, right?! Riding her felt like I'm an old man on a merry-go-round! It's... ah, it kicked in"

"What?"

"Pay it no heed. It's just something in my mind. Thank you for listening to my rant"

"Anytime, Momon-san. By the way, now that it's just two of us... May I confirm?"

"Yes, I am who you think I am. However, I'm currently Momon the adventurer. Remember that"

"You have done so much for me in the past, so I will make sure to keep that a secret between us"

"Good"

After that, the two of them caught up to the group and continued their travel back to E-Rantel. When they arrived, the sky was already pretty dark. During the walk, Ryu learned that Momon had to go to Adventurer's Guild to register Hamsuke. Meanwhile, the Sword of Darkness group agreed to go with Nfirea back to his shop to help unload the cargo.

"What about you, Ryu-san, Lily-san?"

"We're just a tag along, but I think we will go with you to help unloading. How about it, Lily?"

"I'm fine with that"

"Thanks for the extra help"

Ryu and Lily went along with the group while Momon and Nabe went with Hamsuke to the guild. Later they arrived at the backyard of a house. Nfirea parked his wagon in front of the back door of the house and put on a lantern inside the room behind the door.

With Nfirea's directions, everyone else unloaded the wagon's cargo and put them at the designated spot. It took just a little while since Lily was exceptionally strong for her size, so she could carry the heaviest items without breaking a sweat.

"Thank you for your hard work! There should be some cool fruit juice in the house, so please come in for some"

"Sounds great!"

Lukrut was the one responding with delight, and everyone else agreed.

"Then, please come this way…"

Just as Nfirea was about to lead the others into the house, someone opened the door on the other side of the room.

"Hiiii~ Welcome home~"

Before him stood a pretty, yet vaguely unsettling young woman. Her blonde hair swayed in the wind.

"Ah~ I've been worried, you know? I thought you went missing. What poor timing — I didn't know when you'd be coming back, so I had to wait here all this while, you know?"

"…May, may I ask who you are?"

"Eh! You don't know each other?"

Peter exclaimed in surprise. He thought they knew each other, from her familiar tone of voice.

"Hm? Ehehehe~ I came to kidnap you~ I need someone to use the spell which summons a biiiiiiig horde of undead, 「Undeath Army」, so could you be my magic item? Onee-chan's begging you~"

Everyone, Ryu and Lily included, drew out their weapons.

"That's a seventh tier spell which hardly anyone can use, but it can be cast with the Crown of Wisdom. You can't control all the undead it makes, but you can guide them! What a perfect plan~!"

"Nfirea-san, fall back! Get out of here!"

Peter eyed the woman warily, his sword in hand, and spoke in a steely tone:

"She's going on and on because she's certain she can kill us all. Since you're her target, the only way to turn things around is for you to escape"

As Nfirea withdrew in a panic, the Swords of Darkness closed ranks in front of him, turning themselves into his meatshields. Lily stood next to them while Ryu was a bit behind.

"Ninya, you go too!"

After Dyne spoke, Lukrut shouted.

"Take the kid and run! Weren't you going to save your kidnapped sister?"

"That's right. You've got something you have to do. Though we might not be able to help you until the very end… at least we can buy you some time"

"Guys…"

Ryu was speechless hearing the bit of Ninya's story. At this rate he felt that he must keep them all alive no matter what.

"Mmm~ how touching~ I'm about to shed a tear myself, mm. But if he escapes, it'd be troublesome for me. So let's leave one to play with~"

The girl smiled happily and withdrew a pair of stilettos from under her robe as she saw the doubtful gaze on Ninya's face as he bit his lip. Just then, the rear door swung open, revealing a sickly-pale, stick-thin man, who looked like one of the undead.

They were caught in a pincer attack. The Swords of Darkness' faces turned grim.

"…You're getting carried away"

"Ah~ What're you saying, Khazi-chan? Weren't you the one making preparations so their screams wouldn't spill out? It's just one person, so let me enjoy myself~"

The way the girl smiled with her teeth bared sent a chill down Nfirea's spine.

"Then, since there's nowhere for you to run, let's have some fun~"

 _Deband!_

Ryu immediately casted his defense-buffing tech. Both the girl and the pale man looked surprised. The rest other than Lily weren't any less surprised.

"Oh, it seems like someone is more than meets the eye. Better be prepared, Khazi-chan~"

"Lily! Hold that girl off! Everyone else, let's break through this man!"

 _Shifta!_

The offense-buffing tech seemed to reinvigorate the Swords of Darkness' morale. They immediately turned around towards the pale man. Lukrut fired an arrow to the man, but it was deflected by an invisible barrier around the man. A flicker of the barrier could be seen for a second, and it seemed the arrow managed to make a crack.

[Shield Wall] [Reinforce Armor]

The man casted a spell on himself, making the barrier visible again for a second. The crack on the barrier was mended and now it became seemingly sturdier than before. Dyne charged at the man quickly and swung his mace with all his might. Again, the attack was deflected but a crack appeared.

Before the man could repair the barrier, Peter followed up and slashed with his sword. The man jumped back to evade, but it created an opening for everyone to get out.

"Everybody, get out!"

Meanwhile, Lily had been struggling to fight the sinister girl. She was in defensive stance, trying her best to deflect all attacks while at the same time blocking the way so she wouldn't be able to assist the pale man. The girl was very agile, and Lily had a hard time keeping up with her speed.

"Playtime's over!"

After saying that, the girl thrusted her stiletto at Lily. Lily deflected the attack, but she immediately got kicked with a sweeping kick. The kick was so fast she could not anticipate it at all. She fell flat on her back, and before she could recover...

"Too slow!"

The girl stabbed a stiletto at Lily's unprotected right thigh. To be exact, it was impaled clean through and nailed to the floor.

"Aaaaaaugh!"

"Music to my ears~"

The girl pulled her stiletto, now covered in Lily's red blood, from Lily's thigh. A lot more blood flowed from the two-sided wound left behind.

 _Resta!_

With a cast of the healing tech, the wounds closed as if they never happened. The sinister girl looked a bit surprised, and then she turned towards Ryu.

"So we got a healer here, huh? I guess I must eliminate you first~"

[Pace of The Wind]

Without giving a chance to react, the girl jumped to Ryu with two stilettos pointed to him. She was aiming for the heart. She jumped at a speed where Ryu wouldn't even have time for his brain to process what was happening.

However, instead of getting impaled through, Ryu got thrown back to the outside by the force of the strike. His photon armor protected him, so all damage he received was minor impact damage. He immediately stood up. The girl came out from the door, walking slowly with confidence.

"That's strange~~ I didn't get to stab you. The sensation of stabbing that girl's leg back then also felt hindered. You're really an interesting fellow~"

Ryu glanced back and forth between the opponent in front of him and the Swords of Darkness group struggling to fight the pale man. The man had quite a lot of support spells on him, making himself pretty much invulnerable to any attacks the group could throw at him. Thankfully, it seemed that his offensive was rather weak, so with Ryu's earlier Deband tech the group were protected from his attacks. Nfirea was cowering near his parked wagon, knowing that these enemies wouldn't let him flee.

It was a stalemate over there, and this sinister girl in front of Ryu was much more dangerous. If she suddenly decided to attack the group, they might not survive.

Lily came out from the door attempting an attack from the girl's back. However, she evaded the attack easily.

"I would like to play with you longer, but I am pretty pressed on time~"

[Flow Acceleration]

With incredible speed, the sinister girl jumped towards the Swords of Darkness group and impaled Ninya from the back clean through the stomach. Everyone was totally dumbfounded.

"Argh..."

"Ninya! No!"

The girl then grabbed Ninya by the neck and pointed another of her stilettos to Ninya's face. Ninya was still alive, but he was bleeding out.

"Don't even try to move. Don't try to heal him as well, unless you want my weapon stuck inside him~"

She was right. While Resta could remove small foreign object inside wounds, there was no guarantee for a case of a whole weapon impaling through like that.

"Let's strike a bargain. You come with us, pretty boy, and I will let him go~"

Nfirea was baffled hearing it.

"You better decide quickly. This boy doesn't have long~"

"Y-yes, I will go with you!"

The rest of the Swords of Darkness group were speechless. They were totally out of options. They really wanted to not give the sinister girl what she wanted, but if they try to stop her they would be killed and Nfirea would be taken away anyway. This girl was on a whole different league than them.

"B-but you will keep your word, won't you?"

"Ah, I usually don't. But since today is a special day I will~"

After saying that, she pulled her stiletto from Ninya's back. Blood spurted from both sides of the wound and he fell down to the ground. The girl calmly went away from him to Nfirea, who had accepted his fate.

 _Resta!_

With a single cast, the wounds closed, but Ninya was still unconscious. The rest of the Swords of Darkness hurried to him. Dyne examined him, opening Ninya's clothes and looking worried. He noticed something while doing this.

"He... no. She will be fine"

The sinister girl seemed to overhear them, looking back at them while walking away with the pale man and Nfirea.

"Oh, so the boy turned out to be a girl all along, eh? No matter, enjoy the short life you have remaining~"

After saying that, the two people disappeared into the darkness along with Nfirea.

There was a complete silence for some minute, until Peter broke the silence.

"Dammit! Who the hell are them?!"

He shouted with a single hard pound on the ground with his fist.

"Especially that girl. We're just no match for her"

Everyone agreed with Lukrut's remark.

"I'm really sorry that I was unable to stop her"

Ryu apologized, hanging his head in shame.

"It's all my fault. I was not strong enough to hold her off"

Lily also apologized, hanging her head in shame as well.

"No, it's nobody's fault. Our opponent was just too strong"

Peter said that without looking at Ryu. His remark was genuine, and it seemed that inside his mind he was cursing his weakness.

"In fact, we should thank you"

"Eh?"

Ryu was startled. Why should he be thanked?

"If both of you weren't with us, all of us would have been killed"

"That's right. They might have taken Nfirea, but we are all still here. We will find a way to take him back"

Ryu was speechless hearing Peter and Lukrut's words. He couldn't tell them that he actually had a chance to beat both of the enemies, but the heat of battle and the fact that he had to protect an ordinary person had made him panic and forgot to cast offensive techs.

That might be the better outcome, though. Casting his tech in a residential area like this might cause significant collateral damage.

"In any case, what should we do now?"

"Momon-san and Nabe-san should arrive here soon. I suggest we wait for them, and then we plan our next move"

Ryu agreed with Peter's suggestion. While it would be faster to directly go to the guild, they might not meet along the way if Momon was already done and took a different road. Moreover, Ninya was still unconscious.

Nobody seemed to care about the fact that Ninya turned out to be a girl, probably because it was not the most important matter at hand.

Ryu and Lily sat down on the ground, leaning on the parked wagon's wheels. He had a bad feeling about what was about to come soon, and he hoped Momon would arrive soon. Perhaps Momon would have to fight as Ainz in this unfortunate case.

* * *

 **Note from author:**

 **Like the group in previous chapter, Alice is a cameo of a clanmate.**


	10. Chapter 8: The Wall Defense

It was a tough night.

The Swords of Darkness group had their client abducted by two mysterious people. One pale zombie-like magic caster man and a sinister warrior girl to be exact.

The group tried their best to evacuate both the client and themselves from the shady people, but they were overwhelmed and the client, Nfirea Bareae, was taken away.

The Swords of Darkness were lucky to be still alive after all that. The sinister girl had been there fully intending to kill all of them. It was thanks to the efforts of two tag alongs that they had managed to stay alive.

Ryu the magic caster and Lily the warrior. They were still Copper rank, but their capabilities were on par with at least Mithril, maybe even Orichalcum.

As the leader of the Silver rank Swords of Darkness team, Peter felt ashamed of his weakness. If he and his partners had been stronger, they would have been able to hold off on their own. Ryu wouldn't have to keep being concerned about them, and he and Lily would be able to concentrate on facing the sinister girl.

Peter looked at Ryu and Lily, who were sitting on the ground and resting, leaning to Nfirea's wagon wheels. They seemed to be fine, but he could notice a lot of blood stains over Lily's right leg. She must have gotten wounded during the fight.

He then looked the other way. Ninya was still unconscious, but Dyne said that she would be fine thanks to Ryu's healing spell. Both Dyne and Lukrut were sitting down on the ground just like him and everyone else.

Peter pondered on the fact that Ninya turned out to be a girl. For himself, it was no problem. Ninya was still Ninya after all. But why did she hide the fact? Was it because of Lukrut's frequent remark of girls causing a lot of problems in their team?

"Lukrut"

"...Eh?"

"What do you think of Ninya, now that we all know it?"

"... No different than before. Boy or girl, Ninya is Ninya"

Lukrut's answer was straight. However, his expression was pretty gloom and out of character for him. Can't blame him, though. The current situation was indeed depressing.

Peter looked back at Ryu and Lily. They also looked pretty depressed.

"Ryu-san"

"Yes?"

"Like I said before, you did great and thanks to that we are still alive. Please don't be so hard on yourself"

"I guess that's one way to see it..."

"Lily-san"

"Hmm?"

"That's a lot of blood. Are you all right?"

"Ryu-san healed me so I'm fine. Don't worry about it"

"How did that happen?"

Peter asked out of curiosity, but soon he realized that it was not a proper thing to ask.

"Sorry! Never mind. I didn't mean to make you remember the pain"

"No worries, Peter-san. I only got kicked with a sweeping kick and then when I was down she impaled my thigh all the way through"

Lily used some hand signs to illustrate what had happened. Her mood seemed to brighten up, even though only a bit.

"Lily. I'm sorry"

Lily was surprised hearing what Ryu just suddenly said.

"W-what? Sorry for what, Ryu-san?"

"I should have not asked you to face that girl alone"

"You did nothing wrong! Like Peter-san said, you managed to keep everyone alive!"

"But you had to experience such pain. I underestimated that girl's combat skills. It was a big mistake"

"Ryu-san. Look at me"

Ryu seemed a bit startled hearing Lily's words. He looked at her anyway, looking confused.

"I'm all right. Everything has already happened. There is no use regretting it. What you should do is learn from it and do better in the future"

Ryu was speechless for a good few seconds. His mouth was slighly agape.

"Yeah... you're right. What has gotten into me? You're totally right!"

Peter, Lukrut, and Dyne chuckled a bit seeing the recent interaction. The wise-looking magic caster getting somewhat lectured by a cute, lively warrior. Shouldn't the roles have been the other way?

* * *

Ryu was embarrassed. He had just been lectured by Lily, whom he had been presuming more as a daughter than a partner. Now he really wanted to dig a hole and bury himself, because the three still awake Swords of Darkness members definitely had heard everything.

Still, the fact that Lily was capable of doing that gave a sign that her personality might not be merely of a summoned creature sworn to loyally serve him until death. Well, that fact still remained, but lecturing him like that might mean that she had a certain degree of free will.

"Ah, you are all here. What happened?"

The sudden voice made everyone present looked at the source. Their face became hopeful because the one they had been waiting for had arrived.

"Momon-san! It's terrible!"

Peter was the first to speak out. He stood up and rushed to approach Momon.

"Hmm? Calm down, take a deep breath, and explain. Though, where is Nfirea?"

Peter wasted no time telling everything that had happened. Momon and Nabe calmly heard him out, while the old lady, who were introduced midway through as Nfirea's grandmother, showed disbelief hearing that her grandson had been abducted.

"I see. His particular talent has attracted a wrong kind of people"

"Nfirea! My grandson! Please take him back!"

"Peter, Lukrut, Dyne. Take Ninya with you and rest. You have done enough"

"But we want to fight too! It was our fault that Nfirea-san was taken away and we want to make amends"

"Answer me on this. If you fight those two people again, will you be able to not get in my way?"

"Tch..."

Peter seemed upset. Momon's words were harsh but true. His team was too weak to fight a person of that level. They would just become a burden to Momon.

"Alright, I understand. But we still want to be useful in some way, so we will warn other adventurers in case an undead army will really come"

"That would be good. However, will they take you seriously? While not the lowest, Silver rank isn't really that high"

Peter was speechless. Momon had a point. There was no definite proof at all and the whereabouts of the undead army was still unknown. It could be the city's cemetery or the nearby Katze Plains, maybe even somewhere else. Nobody would take them seriously at this rate.

"That is why you should just go home and rest. You are all definitely exhausted from our trip and the recent fight"

"It's upsetting, Momon-san. But you are right. We will go home and rest for now. Thank you for your concern on us"

Peter bowed in respect, and the Swords of Darkness group left the place with Dyne carrying the still unconscious Ninya on his back.

"Now then, let us find out where they have taken Nfirea. But first..."

Momon looked at Nfirea's grandmother.

"I would like a proper reward for rescuing your grandson"

Ryu was quite surprised. Isn't this a bad time to talk about such thing? But since Ryu knew that opposing Momon would be a bad idea, he just kept silent.

However...

"Momon-san! This isn't the time to talk about that!"

Lily ended up the one voicing it out.

"Yes, this is the time. From your stories, this matter is likely going to be large scale battle. My mission will be to strike at the very core where the most dangerous enemies are residing. I will be risking my own life, and I want to make sure the reward will be worth the risk. Is there something wrong with that?"

Lily was speechless. Ryu couldn't help but agreeing with Momon's explanation. He knew that if Momon fought the enemies as Ainz there would be no risk at all, but right now he was Momon the warrior adventurer, not the mighty Ainz Ooal Gown. Ryu still had no idea if Ainz could freely switch back and forth between his Momon persona and his original self.

"Let's not waste any more time. What is your answer, Lizzie Bareae?"

"I-I will pay any price, even if it is everything I have! Please save my grandson!"

"I have seen your resolve now. Alright, do you have a map of this city?"

"I-I just happen to have it right here!"

Lizzie handed a large scroll of paper to Momon. Momon then went to the house entrance, and Nabe followed.

"W-what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to have Nabe cast a locating magic. Leave us alone for a few minutes"

Out of a bit of curiosity, Ryu spoke out.

"May we come along with you?"

"Alright, but your partner should stay out and guard Lizzie-dono, in case they return"

Ryu nodded and turned to Lily.

"If you notice them coming again. Alert all of us right away"

He then leaned over to Lily and whispered something

"Also, try to strike some conversation with her. I want to talk to Momon-san about a topic that requires secrecy, so I want you to distract her a bit"

"Leave it to me, Ryu-san!"

Ryu then followed Momon and Nabe into the room behind the entrance. Momon cleared a wide table off and spread the city map scroll on it.

"If they are going to raise an undead army, the cemetery is the most sensible place"

Ryu looked at the city map. Thanks to Alice's help this afternoon he could read all the writings, but since the map had recognizable symbols he believed Momon could locate the city's cemetery too.

However, E-Rantel's cemetery was huge, taking most of the western outer ring. Searching all over the cemetery would take too long.

Momon then conjured a backpack out of thin air.

"Momon-san!"

Nabe looked surprised, looking back and forth between Ryu and Momon. Ryu caught the drift and spoke out.

"I already know since the first time I met you. Don't worry, nobody else knows. Even my partner. I plan to keep it that way"

Nabe looked a bit relieved. Momon then took out a bunch of scrolls from the backpack and gave Nabe a lecture on what the scrolls do and how she should use them in order. Ryu totally failed on understanding most of them, so he just stayed silent.

"We are working on assumption and educated guess, but the enemy is likely to be right in the middle of the cemetery, probably this chapel to be exact"

Momon pointed at the map. Indeed there was a symbol of a chapel or such in the middle of the cemetery.

"Nabe, now do as I said"

Nabe then threw one of the scrolls into the air, and it was consumed by a flame. She continued with more scrolls until there were only two left.

[Clairvoyance] [Crystal Monitor]

Nabe used the last two together, and a floating image appeared above the map. The image showed a legion of both human and inhuman figures walking straight and stiff. Definitely an undead legion. Right in the middle of the visible crowd was a standing still man. There was no mistaking it that the man was Nfirea.

"Alright, we struck gold on the guessing game"

Momon said that calmly. He then looked at Ryu.

"Ryu-san. As planned before, I will break through the undead horde right into the source. What are you going to do?"

"I'm sorry, but I failed to catch your drift"

"You can either come with me to the source or hold the line along with other adventurers"

"Oh..."

Ryu finally caught what Momon meant. It didn't take him long to decide.

"I will stay behind and hold the line. I believe I will just get in the way coming with you"

"Alright then"

The floating image disappeared and Momon walked to the exit door. Ryu and Nabe followed him.

"Lizzie-dono. The undead army is already on its way in the graveyard. There are thousands of them, if not more"

"What?!"

"No need to be shocked. We intend to cut a path through them. The problem is that we can't guarantee that undead army won't escape from the graveyard. You need to tell as many people as possible to hold the undead back if they see them spilling out. There's no proof, but I'm sure that a lot of people will be willing to listen to a big name like you rather than a bunch of Silver or Copper ranks. If the undead ran wild and there was nobody stopping them… that would be troublesome, no?"

"I and Lily will hold the line in the meantime. Please gather the people as fast as possible"

Lizzie was speechless hearing Momon's confidence.

"Do you have a way to break through that army of the dead?"

Momon looked at Lizzie, and then pointed to the greatswords on his back.

"Don't you see it right here?"

The four Copper adventurers then hurried to the front gate of the graveyard. Since Ryu had no idea which road to take, he just took a ride on Hamsuke along with Lily. Both Momon and Nabe ran so fast that it would have been impossible for Ryu to keep up on foot. At this point both Momon and Nabe were already far ahead and not within sight anymore.

"Thank you for letting us on, Hamsuke-san"

"This one only let you because this one's master ordered so"

Still, the ride was bumpy and the body structure of Hamsuke made it even harder to keep balance. Both Ryu and Lily had to hang on tight or they would just fall down.

Later, the front gate of the graveyard was within sight. Ryu could hear alarm bells ringing, telling that the guards were already aware of the impending doom.

"We will come down and stay here to hold the line"

After saying that, Ryu jumped from Hamsuke and Lily followed.

"Then this one will follow milord!"

Right after saying that, Hamsuke charged forward and jumped over the graveyard wall. Ryu could notice some guards had their mouths agape.

Ryu approached the gate and spoke to any guards listening.

"What's the situation here?"

One of the guards then nervously approached Ryu and told everything he had just seen. From his story Ryu could conclude that Momon and Nabe had already broke through the undead army, and now the horde was lured to his group. The gate wall was peaceful at the moment thanks to that.

"Other adventurers will come to help hold the line soon. Anyone injured here? I can cast healing magic"

"The ones still alive are uninjured..."

The guard's nervous speech while looking behind him made Ryu caught the drift immediately. Right now the guards stationed here were either uninjured or already dead.

"I see"

The peace lasted for about ten minutes, but it was just a calm before a storm. Soon, the alarm bell rang again.

"More undead! Incoming!"

Ryu climbed the stairs next to the gate and looked at the graveyard field behind the wall. Indeed a horde of undead were advancing towards the gate. The distance was still a bit far, but they definitely would reach the gate within minutes.

"Where are the reinforcements!?"

One guard shouted in panic. The only reinforcement coming so far was a small group of guards equipped with simple spears and some others equipped as archers. Without more reinforcements they would not last long.

"Calm down! Archers, fire at will! Spearmen, form a line and stand by!"

One guard who seemed to be the captain shouted orders and the others complied. Ryu immediately stood next to one archer, who was frantically spending his arrows, and took his Weddle Park. He then charged photon and casted a tech.

 _Foie!_

A fireball as big as himself came out from his weapon and flew fast towards the undead horde. It hit the front of the horde and incinerated at least twenty undead. The fire spread to more, and in the end the single cast took out about forty to fifty before the crowd spread out to avoid the flame.

The guards had their mouths agape seeing that. The Copper rank adventurer they had pretty much been ignoring had just casted a fireball. Within their knowledge such spell could only be casted by at least Mithril rank.

 _Rafoie!_

Ryu pointed at one group consisting of about thirty zombies with his weapon, and an explosion happened right there. All of the zombies within the group were wiped out.

"W-what kind of spell was that? Who are you?"

One guard next to Ryu asked nervously.

"I'm just a traveler who arrived in this city a few days ago. The name's Ryu and this is my partner Lily"

There was no time for further talks. There were many undead creatures still advancing towards the wall.

 _Nafoie!_

An perfectly round ball of fire energy came out from Ryu's weapon. It moved as if it was a ball thrown by a person. Soon, it hit the ground without hitting any undead creature and disappeared, and in its place appeared a huge firefield in a cone-shaped area starting from the point where the ball had landed. The fire field wiped out about half of the undead horde within sight, which counted to at least one or two hundreds.

* * *

 _It seems I was right._

Ainz glanced behind him as he quickly advanced through the horde of undead. If the ones holding the line were only the puny guards, Ainz would advance slowly, luring the undead horde to him to make sure they would be alive to tell the tale of a mighty adventurer breaking through an undead horde and cleared the matter. However, since Ryu was present, Ainz could leave it to him on keeping the guards safe. This saved a lot of time.

[Create Low Tier Undead: Wraith]

[Create Low Tier Undead: Bone Vulture]

Ainz exhausted his daily limit of creating low tier undead creatures. He summoned the creatures to keep reinforcements from entering the graveyard and hindering him from gaining all the fame. Also, with these creatures he assumed that Ryu would also gain a certain degree of fame as well for defeating them.

Ainz specifically ordered all the creatures he had just summoned to chase away anyone entering the graveyard while not killing the guards. Adventurers were fair game, though.

Still, he had to be quick. Ryu would likely wipe them out pretty quickly and the interfering busybodies would eventually come.

* * *

"Flying undead incoming!"

The guards panicked seeing the new type of foe arriving. Indeed there were several skeletal creatures with the shape of vultures flying to the gate, and along them there were a number of ghost-like creatures. They were pretty spread out so it was impossible to kill all of them with one spell. The undead horde on the ground also needed to be taken care of.

 _Ilgrants!_

A bunch of light sparks came out from Ryu's weapon. The sparks left multiple light trails, making them looked like a bunch of snakes made of light. They all homed in to the nearest skeletal vulture, and when they touched the vulture they made light explosions, and the vulture disintegrated.

Ryu charged his weapon again and casted the same spell on one of the ghosts. The same thing happened and the ghost disintegrated.

Ilgrants turned out effective against the vultures and ghosts, but it had the downside of having a longer charge time than most techs. If Ryu kept using it on the aerial forces the ground forces of the undead would break through the gate freely.

"I need to keep the walking undead away! Please cover me on the flying ones!"

Ryu shouted, hoping that any of the guards would hear him and understand.

"I can't! I'm out of arrows!"

"Me too!"

"Where are the reinforcements!?"

Ryu was starting to get overwhelmed. All the techs he had casted earlier had begun to take their toll on his body, but he had to keep going or else the undead horde would be too close to the gate, raising the risk of friendly fire from his fire techs.

At this point, he could no longer use Nafoie since the energy ball had to hit the ground to create the fire field, and apparently roasted undead corpse didn't count as ground.

 _Rafoie!_

 _Rafoie!_

 _Foie!_

Ryu kept casting his fire techs on the ground forces. Strangely, the skeletal vultures and ghosts seemed to be not interested in flying over the gate. All of them seemed to be just flying round and round like they were patrolling.

Lily couldn't contribute anything currently because none of the enemies were within melee range. She just stood by next to Ryu, who was beginning to sway.

"Ryu-san! Stop! You need to rest!"

"I know very well, Lily. At this rate I only can cast one more spell"

Right after saying that, Ryu jumped off from the wall to the graveyard grounds.

"Wha.. Ryu-san!"

Lily immediately jumped off to follow him. The undead horde approached him steadily. Lily stood in front of Ryu, intending to guard him with her life if need be. At this moment one vulture did a sharp dive to attack with its talons, but Lily parried the attack and did a vertical slash, slicing the vulture in half.

"Get behind me, Lily"

"But, Ryu-san..."

"I know what I'm doing. Just get behind me and defend me if any more of the vultures attack"

Lily complied, moving behind Ryu but keeping her defensive battle stance so she could jump into action if something wrong happened.

Ryu charged his weapon, but he didn't cast anything. He waited as the approaching horde got closer and closer. The guards watching from over the wall had no idea what he was doing.

"He must be crazy!"

That was likely the sentence present in most of the guards' mind. At this point the horde was less than ten meters away from him, and some of the skeletal vultures were right above him, as if they were waiting for a perfect moment to strike. Meanwhile, the ghosts stayed further behind for some reason.

7 meters...

Ryu still waited.

5 meters...

Two vultures attacked. Lily jumped ahead and did a wide slash with both swords, once again slicing the vultures in half

3 meters...

"Get behind me now!"

2 meters...

Lily jumped back and landed one meter behind Ryu.

 _Gibarta!_

Ryu pointed his weapon to the horde right in front of him, and a blizzard appeared from it. The blizzard carried a numerous amount of small icicles, puncturing any undead creature unlucky enough to get hit. The freezing blizzard lasted for just over ten seconds, but after it was over the entire graveyard in front of Ryu had become a field of ice as far as eyes could see. All the ground forces of undead creatures were frozen solid.

"Ryu-san! Look out!"

Lily grabbed Ryu and did a dive away from where he was standing. All the remaining skeletal vultures above them had also been frozen solid and they fell down right on top of them. Thankfully, both Ryu and Lily managed to avoid the fall thanks to Lily's diving save. The frozen vultures hit the ground hard but they were still intact.

"Thanks, Lily"

"Anytime, Ryu-san!"

Lily smiled saying that.

"We can't relax just yet, though. Let's go back to the wall"

Ryu and Lily went back to the front gate of the graveyard. The guards opened the gate slightly and closed it again once they passed through.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

The captain of the guard said that with a salute, and the other guards nearby followed.

"No, don't relax yet. The ice will eventually thaw and they will attack again. What I did was just to buy time"

"How long do we have?"

"I can't say for sure. Maybe ten minutes? Probably less"

The captain seemed to be pondering on the situation. But soon the silence was broken by a shout of one guard still standing on the wall.

"Reinforcements are coming! They finally arrived!"

Ryu looked towards where he had come earlier. Indeed, a bunch of lights coming from torches were visible. Soon, he could see that the approaching crowd were a combination of guard reinforcements and adventurers of various ranks, all equipped and ready for battle.

Ryu noticed someone familiar among the crowd.

"Alice?"

Indeed, Alice were walking along with the reinforcements. She still looked as sleepy as before, but her eyes somehow showed that she came here knowing how serious the situation was.

One person, seemingly an officer of the guards, approached the captain who was standing next to Ryu.

"Report the current situation!"

"Yes, sir!"

The captain then tried his best to report everything he had seen, from the moment Momon and his companions went straight into the graveyard, to the blizzard Ryu had just made to buy time.

In the meantime, Alice approached Ryu.

"Hey, Ryu-san. Did you really do that?"

She was referring to the blizzard the captain had mentioned.

"Yes, but now my mana is exhausted"

"Good job. Now leave the rest to us"

"Uhh, no. I didn't cast the blizzard to give time for the reinforcement"

"What...?"

Alice was confused.

"It was to give myself time to recharge"

"Are you telling me that you can refill your mana in minutes...?"

"Uhh, yes. Isn't it just normal?"

Alice let out a small sigh and with a hand sign she told Ryu to lean over so she could whisper something to him.

"If you don't want too much attention you better not tell this to everyone else. Normally refilling mana takes hours of rest, not a few minutes of idle standing like you're doing right now"

Ryu was a bit surprised hearing that. From what Alice had just said, it seemed that in this world regeneration of mana was slow, which was the total opposite of how ARKS operatives could naturally recharge their equivalent of mana within minutes. All the spellcasters he had met in this world so far never had mana problems, so he was totally unaware of the fact.

"I won't stop you if you want fame, so it's your call"

Ryu pondered for a moment. He had been trying to avoid fame so far, but earlier this day he had been thinking that gaining fame might be better. If he climbed high in the adventurer ranks, he might gain easier access to information normally exclusive to the higher ups in the government. While he highly doubted that this world would have anything about outer space, more sources of information wouldn't hurt.

"Thank you for the advice, Liz. But the matter at hand is critical, and I don't want to purposely hold back just to avoid fame. I will go all out and see what happens"

"Like I said, it's your call..."

After the short conversation, Ryu, Lily, and Alice went back to the crowd of reinforcements to join them in the imminent battle.

* * *

[Greater Break Item]

With a single cast of the spell from Ainz, the Crown of Wisdom equipped on Nfirea's head disintegrated. Ainz then reconjured his full plate armor to return to his Momon persona, and then he carried the still-unconscious Nfirea over his shoulder.

 _It seems the Bone Vultures and Wraiths have been completely wiped out. As expected of Ryu._

"Narberal, you better be quick. The adventurers are already on their way here"

Ainz said that as he walked out of the chapel. He had ordered Narberal to loot all the gears she could find from the enemies they had slain.

"It is done, and I have something I want to consult you about, Ainz-sama. But since we have no time I will save it for later"

"Indeed. Now let's take Nfirea..."

Ainz walked past Narberal, who had restored her appearance from Narberal Gamma back to the adventurer Nabe. Hamsuke stood by near them.

"...And return in triumph"

* * *

 **With this chapter, Volume 2 has been caught up. Thank you for those following so far, and stay tuned for more in the future.**


	11. Intermission 2

**This is a very short intermission story to 'tease' about the upcoming next arc**

* * *

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

Ainz kicked the ground over and over out of fury. His attempt to release Shalltear from the mind control by using Wish Upon A Star had failed, and that only meant one thing.

"Ainz, Ainz-sama, please, be at peace…"

Albedo tried to calm Ainz down. Fear clearly showed in her voice.

"...Forgive me. I seem to have lost my senses for a moment. Pay that unsightly scene no heed."

"Please do not say that. However, I am grateful that you took my suggestion to heart, Ainz-sama. If it is your wish that I forget ever seeing that, then I shall remove it from my mind. However — what happened? Did I displease you, Ainz-sama? If you are willing to tell me, I shall strive not to let it happen again."

"...My anger was not directed at you, Albedo. It was because-"

 **Beep! Beep!**

Ainz's speech was interrupted by the notification he knew very well.

 _Another Message?What now?_

The voice behind the Message spell was of a male.

"Ainz-sama..."

It took Ainz a few seconds to recognize the voice.

"You are Ryu's watcher"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

"If you are using Message to me, I believe that means there is an emergency"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

 _Why now of all times possible?_

"...Explain briefly"

"The vessel I am in has been abducted from Ryu"

The way the Eight Edge Assassin worded the sentence was a bit strange, but it was easy to conclude that he meant Lily somehow had gotten kidnapped.

"At this condition, I am unable to do my mission of watching Ryu. Please give me instructions on how I should handle this matter"

Within the calm, expresionless skeletal face, Ainz was overwhelmed out of his wits. Shalltear going berserk and risking herself getting exposed to the world was already a gravely critical matter, and now a similar risk was happening to the Eight Edge Assassin.

Ainz's mind went into overdrive, thinking of the worst outcome that could happen from this abduction case, all within less than a second.

If Lily eventually got killed, the Eight Edge Assassin would emerge stunned and wounded. As the result he would be exposed to the world even if he managed to escape from the vicinity. Ainz could order him now to emerge and rescue Lily, but that would not prevent another problem. He would lose his means to watch Ryu because it would be difficult to supply the watcher with another Reverse Assimilation and Message scroll without getting found out. It was still the less worse outcome, though.

However, there was no guarantee the Eight Edge Assassin would be able to rescue Lily.

He could never ignore the chance that the culprits might be the same ones who had made Shalltear go into her current state. If it happened to be true, the risk would be too high for a single Eight Edge Assassin. Because of this he could not risk sending anyone over to help either.

Still, the matter with Shalltear was the more critical one, and Ainz knew he was the only one who should go and act on this matter.

And so he decided to take a risk by leaving the other matter to Ryu.

"Continue your watch to your surroundings. Emerge from the vessel only if you are absolutely certain she will get killed within seconds. If that happens, evacuate both yourself and the vessel if possible, but prioritize yourself over her"

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

The Message spell ended. Now Ainz could only hope Ryu would get around this matter fast.

"Ainz-sama, please forgive this one's foolish curiosity, but what was that about?"

"It was a matter less important than the one we have. Pay it no heed for now"

Despite saying that, Ainz intended to aid Ryu in this matter once he was done with his own problem. He had to somehow supply another Message scroll to the watcher anyway, so eventually he had to get involved.


	12. Chapter 9: New Rank, New Job

**SPLAT!**

That was the sound of a zombie's head getting squished flat by a warhammer-wielding adventurer. The zombie was one of the last members of the undead horde.

The battle was pretty much over.

All of the flying ones had been eradicated by the magic casters, especially the one who had been casting unfamiliar spells that looked like flying snakes made of light. Everytime that 'light snake' spell was casted, at least one flying undead would just disintegrate into nothing.

And that was amazing, because while bone vultures weren't that sturdy their nimbleness made them able to evade arrows and magic projectiles quite easily. They were pretty much the annoying and dangerous 'hit and run' type monster.

The wraiths were a different story. Their existence was incorporeal, so the only way to hurt them was with magic. They were also a 'hit and run' type in a different way. Instead of speed they could go almost perfectly transparent temporarily, making them practically invisible except to the keenest of eyes. Their negative touch were almost always fatal to anyone getting ambushed by them.

Both the wraiths and vultures were taken care of thanks to the 'light snake' spell being able to home in on targets, making the job easier against the ground forces.

"We're done here! Let's go to aid the one who had gone in first!"

Even though each adventurer already had their own team, there always one who acted as if he was in charge. In this case it was the guard officer who had come with them. Still, the teams agreed to follow his command since that was what they were gonna do anyway.

However, before they even began to advance, they saw something approaching.

There were three figures. Two were human, one was not.

Nobody paid attention to the two human figures because of the one beast figure. It was a giant furred beast with a snake for its tail. There was only one word needed to describe the beast.

Majestic.

"Momon-san!"

The adventurers heard someone calling, probably towards one of the two humans. The one calling was the same magic caster who had been casting the 'light snake' spell.

Once the three figures were close enough to the group, they stopped and the one wearing full plate armor began speaking. It was at this point when everyone noticed that he was carrying a guy on his shoulder.

"I have taken care of the culprit causing this undead outbreak and rescued the civilian they kidnapped"

The officer mustered up his courage to ask.

"Are you the one who broke through the undead horde first?"

"Yes, and I believe there are surviving guards who can testify. Now if you excuse me, I have to return this unfortunate civilian to my client, his family"

The group gave way to the three figures and they nonchalantly walked through, eventually disappearing behind the gate.

Having no idea what to do, most of the teams decided to dismiss themselves and let the guild decide on their follow up rewards. It was late at night after all, so most of them were already quite tired.

* * *

At the following morning, Ryu woke up from bed feeling not fully rested yet. He wanted to sleep again, but last night on the way back he was approached by a guild officer telling him to come to the guild in the morning. The other adventurers participating in the battle did not get told so, so Ryu felt it would be important.

After having breakfast and paying the fee for one week in advance, Ryu and Lily went to the Adventurer's Guild building. He went to the receptionist and told her about the matter.

"A room has been prepared. Please follow me"

Ryu followed the receptionist lady to a small meeting room just like the one he had entered a few times. There was nothing special about this room, just the same set of table and chairs for a small meeting.

"Please have a seat and wait here for a moment"

Ryu and Lily sat down after the receptionist lady left the room. Both of them felt a bit uneasy sitting around and waiting for whoever going to meet them.

Thankfully, the wait didn't last more than two minutes.

The door opened, and the one entering was a middle aged man with a thick moustache. His outfit was pretty neat and elegant compared to most people Ryu had met in this world.

"Greetings. I am Pluton Ainzach, the Guildmaster of Adventurer's Guild"

"Pleased to meet you. I am Ryu and this is my partner Lily"

Ryu and Ainzach had a handshake, and then they all sat down.

"I would like to talk with you longer, but I have many pressing matters to attend to, so I will get straight to the point. Your team is now promoted to Platinum rank"

"I see... wait, what?!"

Both Ryu and Lily couldn't hide their surprise. Did they hear it right that they had been promoted just like that, and they skipped a number of ranks as well?

"Our investigation regarding the event last night revealed that according to witness testimony you singlehandedly held the line with your magic so none of the undead broke through the gate until reinforcements came. On top of that you also eradicated most of the flying undeads and before that you killed at least a thousand undead"

"That was totally exaggerated, Ainzach-dono"

"Also, you seem to never ran out of mana despite the great amount spells you casted"

"Well..."

"To tell you the truth, I was not happy with this promotion to Platinum"

Despite saying that, Ainzach's face and tone did not show hostility. In fact, it felt like he was ashamed.

"Indeed. You don't have to do that, Ainzach-dono"

"You should have been promoted to Orichalcum!"

At this point, both Ryu and Lily's minds could no longer compute. Only one word could come out from their mouth.

"What...?"

"The feats you have done were more than worthy for Orichalcum, maybe even Adamantite if we stretch it a bit. However, circumstances just wouldn't allow us to promote you that far!"

Ainzach then briefed Ryu and Lily about another adventurer team with exceptional feat in that event. The team managed to beat two skeletal dragons at the same time and killed the mastermind behind the event. He also would have liked to promote them to Adamantite, but since that team had no prior accomplishments the guild decided to be prudent and promoted them to only Mithril.

Ryu's team had the same circumstances as that team, and it was decided that the other team's feats was the greater one, so Ryu's team was promoted to Platinum because promoting two different Copper rank teams straight into Mithril would raise unrest among other adventurers.

"Ah, I'm running out of time. I have arranged the receptionist below for the paperwork. Go visit her after this"

"Alright"

"Thank you for your hard work. Be seeing you again someday"

After saying that, Ainzach hurried himself away from the room. His face really showed that something serious was happening.

"Ryu-san. I think I need time to let it sink in"

"Me too, Lily. Me too"

"By the way, the other team is Momon's team, isn't it?"

"No doubt about it"

"I wonder if I can be as strong as him someday"

Lily's tone and expression showed admiration towards this Momon person. It seemed she now had someone to look up to, a goal to work towards. Ryu felt that it would be better to keep the fact a secret that Momon was actually her creator.

"Who knows. Anyway, let's go downstairs"

The two of them went down to the receptionist lady. Like Ainzach had said, everything had been arranged for their promotion. Two plates of pure white color had been prepared to replace their brown plate.

"With this, your promotion is complete. From now on you can take jobs of Platinum level and below"

"Thank you"

"Also, take this"

The lady gave them a small bag. Ryu could easily recognize it as a money pouch. He took a look inside and saw a bunch of silver coins with several gold coins visible among them.

"W-What is this money?"

Ryu tried to keep himself calm and composed, but it was very difficult.

"Our estimate worth of all the undeads you exterminated last night"

"I-I don't know what to say. It is so much it is overwhelming"

Ryu's mind were overwhelmed. In the pouch he could notice at least four gold coins. That meant he could just rest and relax for at least six months without lifting a finger.

But that also meant something else.

It also meant that now he had enough grace period to begin investigating why and how he had gotten stranded on this unknown planet.

Despite that fact, he still had no idea where to begin.

"Ryu-san. You're spacing out"

Lily's words woke Ryu up from his muse.

"Ah. Sorry. We will take this then. Thank you"

"Thank you for your hard work. We hope to see more from you in the future"

Ryu was planning to leave, but he remembered something about Ainzach and he got curious about it. So he asked the receptionist.

"By the way, Sir Ainzach seemed to be very pressured. Is something serious happening, if I may know?"

"I still have not been told the details, but I do know that a number of Mithril rank adventurers had been called to gather here"

"I see. Thank you"

Ryu walked away from the receptionist lady. From her answers something serious was definitely happening, and that matter was so serious it was off limits to adventurers lower than Mithril. He was concerned but it seemed there was nothing he could do at the moment.

Ryu and Lily took a seat on the first vacant seat he saw. He went back to thinking about what he should do next. But it didn't last long.

"Ryu-san!"

Ryu looked at the one calling him with familiar voice. His face brightened seeing them.

It was Peter, along with his entire Swords of Darkness team.

"Peter-san! And the others too! You're all right!"

"It was thanks to you"

"No objections to that!"

"Thanks to you I'm now still alive to feel the love I'm having inside!"

Dyne and Lukrut were back to their bright side. Though Ninya has been silent so far.

"Uhh... Ryu-san..."

"Yes?"

"T-Thank you for saving my life!"

Ninya bowed down deeply as she said that.

"I-If you weren't there I..."

"No, please don't say that. While I did heal you, you should thank someone else. You should thank Nfirea"

"Nfirea?"

"Yes. If he had not offered himself in exchange, I wouldn't have been able to heal you"

Peter then replied on Ryu's words.

"We actually went to his house earlier and did so. Also, it seems he and his grandmother were preparing to move out"

"Did he say where?"

"He said that they would move to Carne Village and live there. He wouldn't tell why, though"

"I see. By the way, are you here looking for another job?"

"We're actually planning to move to the Capital of Re-Estize"

"Oh, why is that?"

"I believe from last night you know a bit of Ninya's story"

"Oh... yes..."

Ryu then remembered about Ninya's backstory, though all he remembered was that her sister had been kidnapped and now Ninya was on a mission to someday rescue her.

"The aristocrat holding her is very likely from somewhere in the capital. We will continue our work as adventurers there while gathering information as well"

"An aristocrat? That sounds dangerous. Are you sure you are ready?"

"Our plan was to rank up to Gold first before moving there, but what happened last night felt like a message for us to get on with it immediately"

"And I somehow feel that I won't be able to see my sister again ever if I don't go now"

Ninya looked depressed as she said that. Ryu wanted to cheer him up a bit, but he didn't know what to say other than one thing.

"You really love your sister, don't you?"

"Yes. In fact, I want to confess that my name is not my real name"

"Eh?"

"Ninya is a part of my sister's name. It is the reminder of my mission, and I won't go back to my real name until I complete it"

Ryu looked at the other members. Peter was the first to catch the drift, wrapping his left arm to Ninya's shoulder.

"She confessed to us this morning, including the fact that she's a girl"

"You should have told us from the beginning. Despite what I said our team will be fine!"

Lukrut said that, patting Ninya on the back pretty hard.

"What is the name of your sister?"

"Tuareninya Veyron"

 **"Tuareninya Veyron, eh?"**

Both Ryu's team and Swords of Darkness team got surprised by the sudden voice from behind them. It was the towering figure they were very familiar with.

"Momon-san!"

"Ah, the lovely as always Nabe-chan is also here. Please allow me to once again ask for a date soon!"

"Get out of my sight, you insect"

"Ooh, as cold as ever!"

Despite Nabe's harsh reply, Lukrut remained cheerful. It was the first time Ryu saw such exchange, so it felt weird for him. But it seemed that the others were already used to it.

"What are you doing here, Momon-san?"

"I was called here for a serious matter, Peter. And I am already late, so I will take my leave now"

"I see"

"And Ninya, I will keep that name in mind if I happen to come across it by chance in the future"

"T-Thank you, Momon-san!"

Ninya bowed very deep to express her gratitude. Momon just nonchalantly walked to the stairs after that, but the entire Swords of Darkness team's faces brightened, as if a new light of hope appeared before them.

"Momon-san is so great!"

"Indeed! I just feel like we will definitely find Ninya's sister when he said that"

Ryu couldn't help but agree. Momon seemed to have become someone dependable in the eyes of most people, if not all. He wondered if this was what Ainz was aiming for, or it was just natural. In any case, since Ryu still didn't know the purpose of Ainz's masquerade as Momon, he just decided to not think too hard about it.

"By the way, I still don't understand why you are here if you are planning to move"

"We want to see if there is any job that involves a one way trip to the capital or at least somewhere inbetween. Like a delivery mission or such"

"Oh, I see. Let's check the board then"

The whole group then went to the job board and browsed through it. It didn't take long until one was found by Peter, though there was one problem.

"This one sounds good. Tranmere Village, looking for bodyguards for one day. Reward 2 gold coins, express carriage provided. But... Gold rank"

"Aww..."

"Anyone else found something?"

"Unfortunately no"

"Not our luck today then"

Ryu approached Peter to see the job he mentioned. Indeed the job paper said so, though he had no idea why Peter said it was good. He could make a guess, though.

"I'm guessing this Tranmere Village is located somewhere between here and the Capital?"

"Yes, and only three hours from here if we ride express carriage. While the capital is still a long way to go after that, saving time by riding express carriage and earning money is well worth it"

"Since now I'm Platinum I can take this job. How about this? I take this job and recruit Swords of Darkness as reinforcements"

"Wait what? You're Platinum now?"

Peter couldn't hide his surprise. He immediately looked at Ryu and Lily's plates, and he finally noticed they were pure white instead of copper brown.

"Yeah, they recognized my contribution during the incident last night and promoted me and Lily to Platinum"

"Well, I do know that your capabilities are greater than your rank since you're a traveler, but I didn't expect the guild to allow you to skip ranks"

"Momon and Nabe skipped to Mithril by the way"

"At this rate I'm no longer surprised. What did you do?"

"They said I killed a total of a thousand undeads, but I honestly think it was exaggerated. Momon and nabe killed the two culprits and two skeletal dragons"

The entire Swords of Darkness group froze in awe hearing Ryu's explanation.

"Anyway, how about it? Shall I take the job?"

"If you're fine with it, please do"

Ryu then took the job paper from the board and brought it to the receptionist. Lily and Peter's group followed behind.

"Let me confirm. You are going to take this Gold rank quest: One Day Bodyguard at Tranmere Village, and you will be bringing a group of Silver rank adventurers as your reinforcements"

"Yes"

"Alright. Your quest is now initiated. Good luck"

With the quest initiated, the team was informed on where they would take the express carriage. After preparing rations for the trip, they went to the designated location. The carriage has been already prepared when they got there, and they departed immediately.

When they said express, they weren't lying. Once they were out of the city walls the horses drawing the carriage advanced by cantering instead of the usual trotting-walking combination.

Peter explained to Ryu and Lily that the horses could do this constantly because they were supplied with stamina potions. Also, the driver of the carriage was not a regular driver. He was a magic caster capable of casting low tier rejuvenation spell to complement the stamina potions.

"Unfortunately, thanks to those things express carriage service is too expensive for common folks"

Another downside to this service was that the ride became very bumpy thanks to the speed, so even higher class citizens rarely use the service.

"This quest must be important for the requester if they are willing to spend that much money"

"Most likely, Ryu-san"

"Well, this carriage sure is fast. How long would it take if we walked?"

"Picture it like this. The village we were coming from yesterday took us from morning to sunset to reach E-Rantel by walking. If we had been riding this, it would have taken only two hours"

"And we will be riding this for three hours. That means it might take us two days if we walk"

"Exactly, Ryu-san"

The ride, while bumpy, went on without trouble for the next three hours, and they finally arrived at Tranmere Village. At first look, Ryu noticed that this village was larger and more prosperous than Carne Village. Despite having the title of village, it would not be completely wrong to call this village a small town. The streets were still unpaved, though, so people would get their feet dirty during and after rain.

The requester was the village's chief, so the group went to the chief's house immediately. After asking around for a bit, they arrived at the front door of the chief's house. It was pretty much the biggest house of the village, being the only one with two stories.

 **Knock Knock!**

Ryu knocked on the door, and soon someone opened the door. It was a middle aged man, probably still in his forties. He looked at his guests' chest and his face became unhappy.

"I believe I requested for Gold rank adventurers, but only a bunch of Silver ones come. Can the guild really be trusted?"

Ryu was a bit confused, then he remembered that Silver plates and Platinum plates were not much different in color. In addition, the sun's position might be blinding the chief's vision a little.

"Excuse me, but I am Platinum. The four Silver ranked ones are reinforcements I brought with me"

The chief seemed a little surprised, then he took a closer look at Ryu's and Lily's plate.

"Ah! Sorry! I was mistaken! Come in, then!"

The chief guided the group to one room inside the house. There was a large rectangular table in the middle and a bunch of chairs positioned around it. It was clear that this room was set up as a conference room.

"Sit anywhere you like"

The group did as told, and the chief also took a seat. He cleared his throat and began speaking.

"First, I will introduce myself. My name is Rubeus Frohd, and I have been chief of Tranmere for 10 years. Next, I will admit something I didn't specify about the quest"

There was a silence for a few seconds because chief Frohd seemed to hesitate.

"Indeed I need a bodyguard for a day, and that is because I am going to infiltrate a bandit camp"

The news was quite surprising. Usually when someone of a higher up requested a bodyguard team, that meant he would travel somewhere and would like more security during the travel. But in this case the requester, the chief of a village, was intending to personally do a dangerous mission.

He then continued his speech.

"The bandits used the ruins of an old fort just half an hour walk from here. Over the last week five of my villagers were mugged in the middle of the woods while hunting. Only two made it back alive, but they were severely wounded and yesterday both died from their wounds"

Frohd clenched his fist as he said that. He definitely was angry but also trying to hold it in.

"I have issued a no-hunting order for now, but I fear it is just a matter of time until they do a full scale invasion on our village"

Ryu raised his hand.

"Why did you post bodyguard job instead of a raid job?"

"Use your head a bit. A frontal raid needs a large amount of personnel. The bandit scouts will notice and they will escape before we get there"

Frohd was right. Ryu felt embarrassed hearing that.

"Moving on. I know the structure of the fort very well since I have explored it a lot in the past. My plan is to enter the fort through a secret path and destroy the bandits from within with the element of surprise on our side"

"Alright, when are we going?"

"Right now"

"Wait, what?"

"You came just at the right time. At this hour they should be busy eating lunch"

"Alright then"

"Just give me a moment to change into my combat suit. Wait for me at the front door"

Frohd then left the conference room. Everyone there looked at each other in silence.

"That was... unusual. Does anyone here know anything about him?"

Peter was the one to answer Ryu's question.

"Rubeus Frohd used to be a Mithril rank adventurer, but an injury during a job years ago left his right leg crippled and forced him to retire early. His specialty was stealth and recon. That is all I know"

"I guess that makes sense, though it seems he still can walk normally"

"Maybe it has healed, or he forced himself. I have no idea"

"In any case, let's go"

The group then went to the front door to wait for Frohd. Ryu couldn't help feeling that something seemed not right in the current job, but he couldn't make himself certain what. He could only hope for the best.


	13. Chapter 10: Expect The Unexpected

**Hi all, author here again!**

 **This chapter came out quite fast because I happened to have a good amount of free time but spotty internet so I couldn't play games, therefore I just continued writing the chapter. ^^'**

 **I will tell you in advance that this chapter is a little short and ends with a cliffhanger, so if you feel that you can't stand the suspense you can hold off reading and wait until I post the next chapter.**

 **Also, from this chapter on I will signify viewpoint switches with more obvious visual, since I feel a single horizontal line is prone to readers missing the switching point.**

 **In any case, hope you like it.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

It was a hot day with little to no clouds present.

A guy was standing around on the outer wall of an old fort, watching the surroundings outside the wall.

He wore a leather armor set from shoulders to knees, and he had a longsword sheathed at his hip. He wore no helmet at all so everyone else could see his shiny bald head.

Nearby, his comrades of three men were sitting around in a circle, eating some roasted meat of a wild animal they had caught this morning.

"Still not done eating yet? My stomach is screaming here!"

He shouted to them, feeling upset thanks to the damp sensation all over his body. The armor and hot weather made him sweat all over that he could smell his own odor.

The three men just laughed him off.

He just sighed, knowing that there was no use telling them. He then went back to watching the surroundings.

Still, he was not too unhappy, since the last few days had a few nice hauls. One case was a traveling merchant who had fired all his escorts for asking too much. He could never forget the face of regret that merchant had when he slashed his sword clean through the merchant's neck. And just yesterday they caught a rare magical animal that definitely would sell well in the black market.

The life of banditry has not been that bad so far for him. He was free to go all out in any fights, and his comrades surprisingly were decently easy to work with.

He knew very well that this way of life came with a huge risk, but even if he would go down in battle and his life would be cut short, he was determined that there would be no regrets.

"Hey, get down there and have your meal. I'll switch with you"

He was delighted hearing that, since it was finally his turn to gobble on the roasted meat.

However, just right after he turned towards where his other comrades were sitting...

He suddenly couldn't breathe.

He had felt an impact sensation on his neck, but he had no idea what that was.

He reached his hand to his neck, and that was when he knew the horror.

An arrow had struck his neck.

 _No... Not like this..._

He tried calling for help, but nothing came out. His comrades screamed in horror and ducked to take cover.

 _I still... have not..._

And then his vision went black. Another arrow struck his head through the skull. Life left his body and he dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Seven human figures silently walked through the woods from Tranmere Village. At the very front was Rubeus Frohd, chief of Tranmere and also former Mithril rank adventurer specialized in stealth and recon. His right leg was not how it used to be, but he could still walk and sneak normally for about one hour before it started to give in.

Behind him was the team of adventurers he had hired to assist him in his current mission. Two Platinum ranks and four Silver ranks.

His current mission was to sneak into a nearby bandit camp and destroy the bandit group from within. He happened to know a secret path that lead into the heart of the old fort the bandits used as their camp.

"Alright, we're here"

The group stopped near a rather large and old tree. Frohd looked around one of its roots and dug the ground near it. After the dirt was shoved away, a stone hatch was revealed underneath.

"It's pretty heavy, so I need someone strong to open it"

"Leave it to me"

The one saying it was a rather small female warrior. Frohd had a little bit of doubt seeing her stature, but he had to take back his words when she casually lifted the hatch with one arm.

"You're stronger than you look. Lily, wasn't it?"

"Thanks, and yes"

"Let's get going then"

The group entered the cave beneath the hatch. It was unsurprisingly dark inside, so the magic caster of the Silver rank group conjured a light wisp to illuminate the way.

The way in the cave was straight with no side tunnels or such. After less than ten minutes they arrived at the end, which was a staircase leading to another hatch at the ceiling. This one was also made from stone.

Frohd pushed the hatch open slowly, trying to take a peek. After making sure that the situation was clear, he pushed the hatch all the way.

Soon, all the others came out from the hatch. The room they came into looked like a prison cell, and they came in from under what used to be the bed. The door was wide open.

Frohd peeked outside the door to make sure the coast was clear. He looked left and right, sharpening his senses.

"No bandits here for now, but I feel something else... Follow me"

The group went deeper into the rows of the prison cells. Inside the furthest cell, the group saw something strange.

It was pretty much a fox, but the fur color was unnaturally pink and purple. Also, the size was too large for a fox, being as large as an adult lion while its body shape suggested that it was still a very young fox. Its neck was chained to the wall. It was unclear whether the fox was sleeping or knocked out, but it sure was unconscious.

"While I have no idea what this thing is, anyone can guess that it sells for a high price in the black market"

Frohd made the remark and everyone else seemed to agree with him.

"We will release it later when we're done with the bandits. Leave it there for now. Also, Lily"

"Yes?"

"Stay here and guard our entrance. In case things get hairy, we need a secure escape route"

"Uhh..."

Lily seemed to hesitate, looking at the other Platinum rank adventurer. Could this man be her father figure, or something of an authority for her? Frohd then looked at the man and asked.

"Your name was Ryu, wasn't it? Is it alright if we have Lily to stay behind?"

Ryu took a few seconds to come up with an answer.

"Alright. Lily. I'll be counting on you"

"Alright, Ryu-san!"

With things settled, the group sans Lily went to the entrance door of the prison corridor. Frohd sharpened his senses to count the number of bandits behind the door.

"Four... Two on the left and two on the right a bit further. Everyone ready?"

The others nodded with weapons drawn.

"Just to make sure. These are ruthless bandits who has killed my villagers with no remorse, so you all should show no mercy"

Everyone else showed hesitation when they heard Frohd's words. He let out a little sigh.

"Fine, just knock them out or something. Don't blame me if something wrong happens to you"

Frohd then put one hand on the door, preparing to push it open. His other hand gave a countdown signal for the others.

 _3...2...1..._

He pushed the door open hard. The raid from within has begun.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Shifta!_

 _Deband!_

As soon as Frohd opened the door, Ryu casted both of his buffing techs. The group then stormed through, knocking out every bandit personnel they saw.

 _Nazan!_

Ryu kept using the only tech he felt the least lethal. Nazan was a tech which created a single burst of air at melee range towards where he pointed his weapon. He controlled the amount of photon projected so the tech was just strong enough to blow the target away across the room, causing them to hit themselves hard onto a wall.

The element of surprise really worked in their advantage. Throughout their trip they never had to face more than three enemies at the same time. Usually the pattern just began with Frohd doing a stealth attack on one, Ryu blowing another across the room, and the Swords of Darkness team piling up on the third if there was any.

Something felt strange though.

The amount of bandits inside the fort was too low.

They once passed a room which had been arranged like a throne room for the bandit leader, but the leader was nowhere to be seen. After passing that room they barely encountered any enemies.

"Do you think they have escaped, Frohd-dono?"

"I don't think so. The ones we eliminated so far didn't seem to be preparing to leave"

"Could it be that... something is happening outside?"

"We can't know until we see for ourselves"

The group then hurried to the nearest door that lead them to the courtyard of the fort. When they opened the door, behind it was a view they had not expected.

"What the...?"

"What just happened?"

"What's going on here?!"

"Ninya, get back inside and don't look if you can't stand it"

"N-no, Lukrut. I will manage..."

There were dead bodies everywhere.

At least twenty dead bodies could be seen strewn all over the ground. All of them had been killed with a variety of methods. Some had been punctured by arrows, some had wounds that seemed to had come from a claw, some others had bite marks.

"Spread out and see if any of them are still alive. Remain vigilant, whoever did this might be still around"

The group spread out in pairs, slowly walking through the bodies. For Ryu, it was still much more manageable than what he had seen in Mot Village and Carne Village, but he had no idea if the Swords of Darkness could withstand the horrible view or not.

"Hey! This one's still alive!"

Dyne shouted, and everyone else rushed to him. The bandit next to him had bite marks on many parts of his body. Dyne tried to heal the bandit, but then he realized something.

"No use. He has been poisoned. My healing spell won't help. Even an antidote won't help if the poison has settled this far"

"Hey, tell us what happened here!"

The dying bandit tried to speak, but he coughed blood all over his mouth. It was a struggle to say anything.

"F... Fo-x..."

And then life left the bandit's body after he muttered that one word.

That one word was enough to trigger Ryu into running back inside the fort.

Ryu rushed through the rooms of the old fort, he went towards the place where the group had entered from. The dungeon containing the prison cells where Lily stayed behind.

 _Please be safe, Lily._

The trip felt like forever for Ryu, but he eventually reached the dungeon door. He opened it and ran to the deepest cell where the strange fox creature had been contained.

"Lily! Are you there?!"

He shouted, but there was no answer. When he reached the prison cell, he looked inside.

To his horror, nothing was there.

The fox creature was gone.

Lily was gone.

The only thing remaining was one of her gauntlets, lying on the floor.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Go!"

Frohd opened the entrance door, and the rest stormed through, leaving Lily alone in the corridor of the dungeon. Maybe not exactly alone since there was this large strange fox creature, but that didn't matter because it was unconscious.

"Guard duty is boring..."

Lily mumbled, walking in circles in front of the prison cell where the strange creature was kept. She had not said it back then because Ryu was her master and she had to obey no matter what. No complaints either in front of his face.

Lily then sat down on the floor leaning to the wall at the end of the corridor. That way she could still see the whole corridor. Once in a while she glanced at the cell containing the fox creature.

"I wonder..."

Lily stood up and tried rattling the cell door. Just as she thought, it didn't budge. A rather new padlock, contrasting the old bars, secured the door. Still, the door as a whole was very old and rusty.

"Here goes nothing!"

Lily gave the door a hard kick, and the whole door fell down, separated from the columns of rusty iron bars. Despite the noise, the fox creature didn't wake up.

"That was surprisingly easy"

Lily then entered the prison cell and slowly approached the fox creature. When she got close enough, she kneeled with one knee and reached her hand out to touch it on the forehead.

She then gently rubbed the creature's head. She didn't feel anything because she was still wearing her gauntlets. She then took her right gauntlet off and gently rubbed the creature's head again. It felt warm and a little fluffy.

"You poor little fellow. What have they done to you...?"

Lily said that with a warm smile. She knew her words wouldn't reach the creature, but she wanted to speak her mind anyway.

"Hang in there. We will set you free once we're done with the bad guys"

" **Hey! What are you doing with our Sacred Beast?!"**

The sudden unknown voice caught Lily by surprise. She quickly stood up and turned around, and she saw the person who had shouted at her.

It was not exactly a person.

It was a fox anthropomorphic. A foxman.

The foxman was about 2 meters tall and his body was very well-built. He wore a set of light armor, and there was a large sword strapped at his waist, implying that he was a warrior.

 _An enemy? Not good!_ _No time to re-equip my gauntlet!_

She was at least glad that the one she had removed was not the one with the shield. She quickly drew her sword and took a battle stance.

"A female, huh? Pretty strange that those bandit scums recruited a female, quite a small one at that"

That sentence made Lily realize that the foxman was not one of the bandits, and he thought that Lily was. She had to tell him that he had misunderstood.

"No, I'm not one of the bandits!"

"I don't care"

"W-what?"

"Bandit or no, any human who has touched Sacred Beast with their dirty hands must be exterminated!"

Hearing that, Lily could conclude that there was no more negotiations. His misunderstanding didn't matter from the beginning. He would come at her fully intending to kill because Lily had touched the fox creature behind her.

The foxman drew his large sword and assumed a battle stance. As expected, he held the sword with two hands. Lily assumed that any strike with that sword would be deadly but a bit slow, so she prepared for making evasive moves.

The foxman jumped forward with his sword readied to do a vertical downward strike, but he did not jump at Lily.

Instead, he struck the chains linking the fox's neck to the wall. The fox creature was now practically free, although still unconscious. After that, he immediately looked at Lily with an intimidating glare.

He quickly closed the distance and struck with a wide horizontal slash. Lily jumped back to evade, and she was not hit. But the room was not that big, so now a wall was right behind her after the evasion.

Knowing this, she immediately ran forward and did a diagonal slash. The foxman managed to block the slash with his sword, and as a counter attack he did a kick to Lily's stomach. Thankfully, she managed to block the kick with her shield, although the force pushed her back to the wall.

 _This guy got strength. Is it the trait of demihuman?_

Lily then remembered something she had recently learned. She drew her other sword, quickly charged forward, and right when she was close enough she jumped and did a spinning slash. The foxman blocked the attack with his sword, stopping her spinning. He pushed her back with great force.

But this is what she had expected.

Lily used the pushback force to spin herself the opposite way, and right when she landed on the ground she extended her leg and did a sweeping kick. The foxman did not expect it, so he fell down with his back flat on the floor. Before he could do anything his right hand was stomped, forcing him to let go of his grip on his sword. He had been disarmed. In addition, a sword was pointed right at his neck.

"Just kill me"

"No. You take this Sacred Beast of yours and go home"

"I can't. You have touched the Sacred Beast. I have to kill you or die trying"

"Can't you just cut it out?! You-"

 **SCREEEEEEEEEECH!**

Before Lily could finish her sentence, a loud noise was suddenly heard. Lily looked at the source. The fox creature has woken up, and it was clear for her that it was angry. Most likely because it saw her threatening the foxman.

The foxman didn't miss the chance. He quickly raised his right hand with all his strength, throwing Lily off balance. Before Lily could do anything, the fox creature pounced her, pinning her to the ground.

"Thank you for your help, Great Femzek"

"Hrmhh..."

The fox creature, seemingly named Femzek, made a sound and looked at the foxman while still pinning Lily to the ground.

"I see. You want her for yourself. Let's take her back to the village and prepare the ritual, then"

"Ark!"

The fox creature, seeming to understand, replied in excitement. It then looked at Lily and radiated a strange aura directed at her. Lily's consciousness gradually faded away.

 _No... Please no..._

 _I still have to serve my master..._

 _Master... Ryu-sama..._

And Lily lost her consciousness.

She had no idea what happened afterwards.

She had no idea how long she had been knocked out cold.

When her mind finally regained consciousness, she tried to move, but she couldn't. Maybe she was still paralyzed by the strange aura? She had no idea.

Her eyes felt heavy, but she slowly forced herself to open her eyes and see her surroundings.

The first thing she saw right in front of her eyes... were her own knees, and a rope coiled around them.

That was when realization hit her.

Her being unable to move was not because she was still paralyzed. It was because she was tied up.

Her arms were tied behind her back. Her legs were tied together with thick rope at the ankles and right below the knees. Another set of rope were tied right above her knees and tethered to her neck with short link of ropework. The ropes binding her ankles were also tethered to the ropes binding her wrists behind her back, locking her body into fetal position. Her mouth was stuffed with... something, and then gagged with some kind of leather cloth.

They have removed her armor suit, but thankfully she was still wearing her shirt, socks, and shorts.

She tried breaking the rope with all her strength, but she quickly learned that it would be useless because she noticed the ropes gleaming a little, implying that they had been enchanted.

Learning this, she tried wriggling her body around to have a better look at her surroundings. After rotating her body a full circle she concluded that she had been put into some kind of small storage room. There were wooden barrels and crates around her, and some other stuffs. Sunlight entered the room through a single open window. She could escape through that window easily, if she was not tied up.

The sunlight felt like a late afternoon sun, although she was not sure at all. That could mean either she was knocked out for just a few hours, or it was actually a morning sun and she had been knocked out for nearly a full day.

One silver lining was that they were corteous enough to put her on a thin leather mattress instead of directly on the hard wooden floor.

Despite all the information she got, she could not do anything. Everytime she tried to break the ropes with brute strength, the ropes gleamed, implying that the ropes had been enchanted with some kind of durability magic. She couldn't wriggle out of the knots either because they were very tight.

At this point, she fell into depression. She was deeply ashamed. Her master was counting on her to guard the location, but she failed her mission and got captured.

 _I'm such a failure..._

Some tears leaked from her eyes.

 _I failed my master..._

 _I'm useless..._

 _That's why..._

 _I deserve to be abandoned..._

 _You have abandoned me, right...?_

 _Ryu-sama...?_


	14. Chapter 11: Wipeout of The Foxmen

**Hi, author here.**

 **I see that my recent announcement has made some people upset, and for that I apologize. I just felt that it was important and couldn't be delayed for too long.**

 **As an apology, the next chapter is here in full.**

 **Sorry again about that.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT THING?!"

"W-what thing?"

"THAT FOX CREATURE IN THE DUNGEON! WHERE DID YOU CATCH THAT?!"

Ryu furiously asked his question to one of the bandits the group had knocked out earlier inside the fort. The bandit was tied up on a chair. The rest of the group just kept themselves silent, looking at how angry Ryu was. The Swords of Darkness team were stunned at what their eyes saw, while Rubeus Frohd was still calm and collected. Frohd then spoke up to Ryu.

"You're flustered, man. Let me handle this. Unless you want to damage your throat further"

"Tch..."

Ryu stepped back to give way to Frohd, who then approached the tied up bandit.

"Listen here, lad. Your comrades are all dead. Someone, or something, raided your camp to take that fox creature you kept in the dungeon"

Frohd was telling the truth. The other bandits the group had knocked out earlier were dead. Whatever raided the fort from the front had finished all the bandits off. This one guy was lucky that he had gotten buried under some furnitures so he had not been noticed.

It was a wonder that the group didn't meet the other raiding party at all. Were they specialized in stealth or it had been just a streak of unfortunate coincidence?

"W-what? That's impossible! I don't believe you! Bulls-"

 **BOOM!**

A fireball came out from Ryu's weapon and hit the wall behind the bandit. The fireball missed his face by just less than five centimeters. He could feel some part of his hair singed.

"If you don't talk, the next one won't miss"

"Look, lad. Whatever raided your camp also took his partner away along with the fox creature, so now he is not in a good mood. If you don't speak I can't guarantee that I will be able to stop him from really throwing a fireball at your face"

"Waaaah! I will talk! I will talk! Please don't kill me!"

"Just so you know. During my younger days I have seen a lot of people lying just to save themselves, so I can tell if you're lying or not. Therefore, please don't"

The bandit looked pale hearing Frohd's words.

"I have no idea! I was not in the hunting party when we caught that fox!"

"Alright, so what do you know?"

"T-they caught it in a forest to the west. I know nothing else! P-please spare me!"

Frohd then looked at Ryu.

"He's not lying"

Ryu felt upset to the point that he was going to claim that Frohd was wrong and the bandit actually lied. However...

Ninya hugged him from behind.

"Please calm yourself, Ryu-san"

Ryu was speechless.

"I understand that you are upset. I know how that feels, I really do"

Ryu remembered the story of Ninya's kidnapped sister. She lost someone close to her, like what just happened to Ryu. Indeed she grew hatred towards nobles thanks to that, but she still remained calm and she has been working on getting stronger to save her someday. Why shouldn't Ryu do the same and keep himself calm?

Ryu then took a deep breath.

"Ninya, you can let me go. I have collected myself"

Ninya let go of her arms. She looked relieved.

"So, what should we do?"

"I would suggest burning all the corpses out there and in here to lessen the chance of them becoming undead, but since there is a grave matter at hand we will go back to Tranmere for now. I have a small personal library, maybe we can find something about the fox creature"

"That will take too long"

"If you have a better idea I'm all in for it"

"Frohd-dono. We have completed your quest, right?"

"Uhh, yes. I would say so. The bandit camp is done for"

"Then I will take my leave"

The Swords of Darkness team were surprised.

"Ryu-san, are you going to search for her yourself?"

"You can't do that! Whatever kidnapped Lily might be dangerous!"

Ryu turned to face the Swords of Darkness team.

"Which is why you shouldn't come with me. You still have a mission, right? To save Ninya's sister"

"But..."

"My mission is to save Lily. I will complete it or die trying. I won't drag you along"

Frohd let out a loud sigh.

"I knew you would say that. Whatever. Be careful out there"

"Thank you, Frohd-dono"

Ryu was about to leave, but Ninya said something.

"Ryu-san... Please come back safely"

"I will. With Lily as well. Now you guys go back to Tranmere with Frohd-dono and take all the reward"

"W-what?"

"Yes, Peter. Take all the reward from this quest. Consider it my parting gift. You will continue your journey to Re-Estize Capital, right? See you again someday"

Before anyone could say anything, Ryu turned away and ran, leaving them.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Well, let's go back to Tranmere then"

"Hey! W-What about me?!"

Everyone turned to the guy they had forgotten. The only surviving bandit, still tied up to the chair.

"Heh!"

Frohd cut away the rope with a single slice of his knife.

"Just scram. I no longer care about you"

"B-But all my comrades are dead. I have nowhere to go!"

"Do you think I care?"

"Please! Let me stay in the village! I can do any hard labour!"

"Do you think I believe you won't rob anyone blind? Your kind has killed five people from the village. They probably will kill you on sight anyway"

The bandit's face turned pale again. Frohd and the Swords of Darkness group turned away from him and left.

"Uhh... Ahhhh... **AAAAAAARRRGGHH!** "

The bandit took a short sword from a nearby corpse and charged blindly at the group. Peter deflected the attack, and in an instant Frohd slipped behind and slit the bandit's neck. The bandit then dropped down and bled out. He seemed to smile before his death.

"Choosing death over everything else possible. Pity..."

Everyone else were speechless.

"Let's go back. My right leg is starting to give in"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ryu stood at the front gate of the fort. As far as his eyes could see, there were only open plains and rocks. According to that one bandit, the fox creature had been caught in the woods to the west. There was no visible forest, so it must be quite far.

Ryu drew his weapon out, turned his body towards the west, and charged a tech.

 _Ilzonde!_

He used the tech which propelled him forward at high speed. He used it at full power without jumping, so he left a wide trail of burnt grass, but he didn't care. He only cared about rescuing Lily as soon as possible.

After two casts of fully powered Ilzonde, a rather large forest was in sight. At the edge of the forest, Ryu felt some kind of strange atmosphere from within it. It was difficult to describe the feeling, but he somehow could comprehend that he was not welcome in there.

However, that was all he needed to become sure that Lily was somewhere inside the forest.

"Hang in there, Lily. I will save you"

With that determination, Ryu entered the forest.

During his trek through the thicket of trees within the forest, it seemed for him that at a glance it was just a regular forest. He could notice a few wild animals passing by once in a while, and none so far were hostile to him. Still, the strange atmosphere lingered. He tried to ignore it and continue his trip.

The deeper Ryu went into the forest, the heavier the atmosphere felt for him. He had no idea how many hours he had walked. He was not even sure if the atmosphere indeed became heavier or everything was just in his head. One thing for sure was that his legs started to lose their strength to keep him standing, and his mind started to disorient itself.

"Could this be...?"

Ryu suspected that the entire forest had been set up as a magical trap, but if it was true then he had just fell right into it.

 _Dammit, I was so stupid walking right into enemy trap_.

He rushed to a nearby tree and sat down under it, trying to hide himself from any enemy that might come to capture him. With his deteriorating mind, he tried hard to think of a way to get out of this predicament.

The forest was too thick to blast through with Ilzonde. He would just crash into trees.

He couldn't burn the forest because Lily might get caught in the fire too.

Anti, the tech which was supposed to instantly cure all ailments, had become pretty much useless in this world unlike other techs which got abnormally empowered. Even a full strength cast could barely alleviate this world's minor poison.

 _Anti!_

Ryu tried casting it anyway to see what happens. As expected, it did nothing.

But then Ryu thought of a risky idea.

If he let himself captured by the enemy, they probably would bring him to the place where Lily was held captive. However, it came with a risk of the enemy coming to kill him right then and there instead of capturing him.

His head hurted thinking about it.

 _I guess I have no choice other than risking it._

With that decision in his mind, Ryu went to a nearby spot where there were a little less trees and sat on the ground right there.

Before long, someone's hand landed on his shoulders.

 _As expected, I didn't sense them coming._

Ryu closed his eyes, preparing himself for whatever came next.

He never expected what actually came, though.

"Hey, Ryu-san"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Aura discovered a Lizardman village. What do you think of attacking and destroying them?"

"Well, it might be worth a try. But before that, I just remembered the other thing I still have to take care of"

"You mean that time... What was it, Ainz-sama?"

"I received a report through Message from the Eight Edge Assassin I assigned to watch over Ryu. It seems Lily, the companion acting as his vessel, has somehow been kidnapped"

"Ah, how careless of him. Shall I go deliver him a punishment for not properly taking care of the gift from Ainz-sama?"

 _What is actually going on in this guy's mind? Ulbert, I wish you were here to help me understand._

"No, Demiurge. I intend to aid Ryu in rescuing her if he hasn't already. Otherwise I will have no more means to keep him under surveillance, no? Also, Lily is not that far weaker than my Momon persona, so there is a chance whoever kidnapped her might be the same culprit"

"As expected of Ainz-sama. A great foresight"

"Demiurge, accompany Shalltear to a place for her to rest, and do as I have assigned you to"

Demiurge bowed, and then he and Shalltear left the place.

"Now. First thing first, we need to locate her..."

Ainz pulled a Mirror of Remote Viewing, and then as a standard procedure he casted a bunch of protection spells and anti-detection spells before using the one he was intending to use.

[Locate Object]

The target of the spell was the set of armor he has given to Lily. There was a high chance that the kidnappers had taken the armor away from Lily, but there was also a good chance that wherever the armor was, Lily was not far from there.

"Hmm, one piece is separated quite far from the rest. Now which one should I look at first?"

Ainz decided to look at the group of armor pieces first. He zoomed towards the location signified by the [Locate Object] spell, and what he saw was quite unexpected.

He saw a settlement located in the depths of a forest. There were several houses on the ground and several others set on trees as treehouses. At the spot of what could be the center of the settlement, there was a large circular hole about twenty meters wide and five meters deep surrounded by tight wooden stakes of two meters tall. Inside the hole there was a pink and purple fox creature playfully running around.

What surprised Ainz most was that the residents of the settlement were demihumans. To be exact, foxman. Many of them seemed to be very well built as warriors, but a few equipped as some sort of magic casters were also visible.

"Interesting..."

Ainz continued zooming in, and the view came close to one of the houses on the ground. From the outside it seemed like a storehouse.

"I have to add a few more spells"

Ainz casted several more spells in order to enable him to see indoors, and the Mirror reacted.

"This should do it"

Ainz controlled the Mirror to show the interior of the storehouse. What appeared next was a view of Lily, all tied up and gagged, locked into fetal position. At one corner of the storehouse were a stack of her armor pieces and weapons.

"There she is"

"Ahh, Ainz-sama. Seeing her helpless like that makes me feel... inspired. Would you like me to be in that position in your bedroom?"

Albedo said that with an seducing tone and inviting pose. Ainz's jaw dropped a bit and the light in his eye sockets dimmed.

 _Seriously? Right in front of the two kids to boot..._

"Albedo, this is not the time for that"

"Ahh, my apologies, Ainz-sama!"

Albedo quickly corrected her position.

"Anyway, let's take a look at the single piece..."

Ainz zoomed the mirror out and zoomed back in at the single piece separated from the others. What he saw was Ryu walking through the same forest the foxman village were located, but he was still quite a distance away and he seemed to walk towards a wrong direction. Not to mention that Ainz noticed something else.

"The forest is enchanted with low level confusion and weakness effect. Too weak to affect any of us, but still effective on unprotected humans. It's just a matter of time until he drops"

"What a fool he is, Ainz-sama"

"It is common for humans to let go of their vigilance when something like this happens. But this shows me something"

"What is it, Ainz-sama?"

"His affection with Lily is high. I can use that to my advantage"

"I see, Ainz-sama"

"Aura"

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

"You are to go aid Ryu in his search for Lily, but make it sounds like you meet him by chance. Also, give him this ring"

Ainz took a simple, plain ring from his dimensional inventory. The ring was a low level item which gave a protection against low level ailments. For Ainz, this ring was trash.

"Right on it, Ainz-sama!"

"Mare"

"Y-yes, Ainz-sama?"

"Watch from a distance and keep yourself unseen. If something threatening happens, aid them. If all else fails, use your Mass Teleport to evacuate"

"I-I will do my best!"

"The rest of the guardians, stand by and be prepared to jump in if needed"

"As. You. Command. Ainz-sama!"

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

[Gate]

Ainz conjured a dark portal, and the twins jumped into it. He closed the portal immediately after that and directed his eyes back to the Mirror of Remote Viewing. The portal had transported the twins at a distance about three hundred meters away from Ryu. So far, Ainz did not see any threat coming, but he still had to remain vigilant.

As ordered, Aura made a quick move to approach Ryu while Mare stayed behind to watch. The harmful enchantment of the forest was too weak for them to give any effect. It took her just half a minute to arrive at Ryu's place. She approached him quietly and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Ryu-san"

Ryu seemed to be surprised. He turned his head to look at her.

"A-Aura-dono?"

"I was scouting this area and I noticed you! How are you doing!?"

"Aura-dono! Please help me!"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ryu was beyond surprised that the one who had come was not the enemy, but someone he knew quite well. She and her twin had accompanied him during his training back then in Nazarick. She even had provided him with training dummies as target practice, so it was a given that he had conversed with her a few times.

This chance meeting gave Ryu a light of hope. He had to seize the chance.

"Aura-dono! Please help me!"

"Whoa, you look flustered! What happened? But first..."

Aura then gave Ryu the ring Ainz had given her.

"This forest is enchanted. This ring should protect you from the effect"

Ryu then wore the ring over his white gloves. The moment he put it on, he could no longer feel the heavy atmosphere. His mind became clear, and his legs no longer felt weak.

"Woah"

Ryu just expressed his relief without saying any other words.

"So, tell me what happened. And where is Lily?"

Ryu then told Aura about his recent quest which led to Lily getting kidnapped. During his speech, Aura's face didn't show any expression change. She just listened with a straight face.

"Alright, I've heard enough"

"Will you help me, Aura-dono?"

"Well, the reason I was scouting this forest was because of this strange enchantment. Since I was about to investigate the source, we're probably on the same path. So yeah, we can go together"

"Thank you, Aura-dono!"

"There is a hidden foxman village that way. I suppose the source of this enchantment is there"

"I owe you a lot. I don't know what I would do if you weren't here"

"You don't owe me. You owe Ainz-sama"

"Oh, right..."

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

The two of them then started walking towards the hidden foxman village while Mare quietly followed from a distance. Aura could easily keep surveillance to her surroundings and also her twin's thanks to her skills as ranger, sniper, and other range oriented jobs. If something truly threatening came, she would most likely spot them coming from miles away.

Of course, there's no need for Ryu to know all that.

So far, there was nothing of significance Aura could notice. But she still needed to remain vigilant because the unknown enemy might have someone specialized in stealth.

Aura's combat capability was lacking compared to most other guardians of Nazarick. Her strength lied in the form of her tamed monsters in her arsenal, and as of right now she brought none with her. She could do a summoning to bring forth some of them, but it might not be wise to show what was essentially her trump card at this time.

About half an hour later, they were about halfway to the foxman village. So far there was nothing which distrupted their trip. At this rate they would arrive at the foxman village within another half hour.

However...

 **Beep! Beep!**

There was a notification of Message spell ringing in Aura's head.

"Stay silent and don't let Ryu know that you are receiving this message"

It was definitely Ainz's voice on the other side. Aura stayed silent and kept walking with Ryu.

"Listen. You must hurry. The foxmen are up to something bad on Lily"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

The job of watcher has not been as tough as right now.

This particular Eight-Edge Assassin was in a predicament.

He had been tasked to watch over the guest of Ainz Ooal Gown, namely Ryu, after the decision he had made to go out on his own. For that task, he had been assigned to a living vessel acting as Ryu's companion. This vessel was a low level summoned human creature named Lily.

Thanks to the Reverse Assimilation spell, he could watch over his target without any worry about being detected. Although, the sensation of becoming an assimilated being was a bit strange.

He still could move his body around. He even could walk and run. However, no matter what kind of motion he attempted to do, his position just remained fixed to where the vessel was. He could feel the ground he was standing on, and he could make a jump motion, but even though he could feel himself jumping and landing his feet on the ground, his altitude never changed.

As of right now, the watcher job was tough because the vessel had been taken away from his target. She was kept inside a small storage house within a village of foxman, and she was restrained in a way that she couldn't even move an inch from her spot.

He could see her equipment stored at a corner of the room, but as an assimilated being he could only watch. He had used the only Message scroll he had to contact Ainz, and he was ordered to emerge from the vessel and evacuate her only if he was sure she would die within seconds.

Still, the feeling of being unable to continue with his original task was unsettling.

Quite an amount of hours had passed, and the sun seemed to be starting to set. He wondered if the vessel could last throughout the night at her current state.

Suddenly, the storage room opened. A male foxman, not the same as the one who had abducted the vessel, came in bringing a short, gleaming blue knife. The vessel looked at them with her eyes filled with fear and despair.

The watcher prepared himself to emerge if he sensed an absolute killing intent. However, he didn't feel such thing. The foxman approached the vessel and used the knife to cut away the rope links which had been locking the vessel into fetal position. Now she was able to straighten her body, although her arms and legs were still restrained and her mouth was still gagged.

"Up we go"

The foxman lifted the vessel and carried her with princess-carry stance. At this point the vessel was already too weak and cramped to struggle. The watcher himself, being automatically repositioned as the vessel was carried, kept himself vigilant to things that may unfold soon.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Where am I going...?_

That was one question running in Lily's mind. She had been tied up in fetal position for what felt like hours, and now that the links had been cut away, her knees and waist felt aching all over. The rest of her body was not any better either. She felt so weak that she couldn't even struggle out of the foxman carrying her.

As she was being carried, she gradually started to hear sounds of chanting. She tried tilting her head a little to see what was going on.

What she saw was several foxmen dressed as shamans lined up in a circle. They were stationed on a mound, chanting to prepare some kind of spell.

 _Is this the ritual he was talking about...?_

Right next to the shaman group mound there were wooden stakes arranged as a fence. The fence seemed to be arranged in a circle shape, surrounding something. From Lily's position she could not see what was behind the fence, but the shamans could from their higher position.

The foxman carried Lily around the circular fence, to the point she could no longer see the shaman group because the fence obscured them from view. On this side of the fence there was a wooden pulley contraption which resembled a large fishing rod. It was put on a base which seemed to be able to rotate horizontally.

The foxman put Lily on the ground under the tip of the contraption, where a long rope was hanging from it. He then tied the rope, linking it to the rope binding her body. After he was done securing the knots, he gave a signal to a fellow foxman operating the contraption. The other foxman turned the pulley, and slowly Lily was pulled up, putting her in suspended position.

Getting suspended made it hard to breathe for her, but now she was raised higher than the fence. Inside the area surrounded by the fence was the same fox creature which was held in the prison cell. The creature looked up to her, and it got excited. It ran around in circles and it seemed to be drooling.

 _Don't tell me..._

The contraption then was rotated towards the area inside the fence, putting Lily suspended above it.

Further behind the shamans from Lily's view, a lone wolfman, the same one she had fought, was standing on an even higher mound than the shamans'

"Zur-ah, brothers! Today we are witnessing a rare event! The Great Femzek has requested a sacrifice by name, and so we obey!"

The crowd all over the place applauded loudly with their fox call. It was loud, making Lily want to cover her ears, but she couldn't because her arms were tied up.

"Once the sun sets, the sacrifice will be purified by holy flame, and The Great Femzek will feast upon it! With this sacrifice, we pray that soon The Great Femzek will grow into a mighty beast, and together, we foxmen will reign supreme!"

Once again, the crowd applauded. From the foxman's speech Lily could easily conclude that they were simply going to roast her and feed her to the so called Great Femzek.

Lily looked at the distant sky. The trees of the forest obscured the sun, but she knew that the sun would set anytime soon.

 _So this is it..._

The contraption then slowly lowered Lily to the ground

 _I don't even get to live for one week..._

A blue flame appeared in the middle of the shaman group.

 _I regret my failure..._

The lowering stopped when she was about the same level as the shamans.

 _But I did my best..._

The shamans chanted louder, and the flame grew bigger.

 _So, Ryu-sama..._

"Let the purifying... begin!"

 _Wherever you are now..._

The shamans chanted differently, and the blue flame was launched straight at Lily. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

 _May you find a better partner than me..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 **FLASH!**

Lily felt something grabbing her and carrying her away, followed by a lot of stinging sensation and a hard landing. She had no idea what had just happened. She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was the one she did not want to see.

Her master's face, filled with regret and sadness.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **ILZONDE!**

The first thing Ryu did when he saw what the foxmen were about to do to Lily was the only action he could quickly think of to save her.

The tech he just casted propelled him straight at the tied up and suspended Lily. He grabbed Lily while the lightning aura broke the contraption and its ropes. He landed within a stone's throw from the circular fence. Lying down on his arms was Lily, still bound by the enchanted rope. There were several burn marks all over her body and clothes because of Ilzonde's lightning aura.

The leather cloth wrapping Lily's mouth had burned off, so Ryu easily removed it and the stuffing inside her mouth.

"Ryu-sama..."

"I'm sorry for taking this long. And for hurting you"

Lily just smiled.

"It's alright... It's a fitting punishment for failing you..."

"No, you never failed me. It was all my fault"

 _Resta_

With the cast of his healing tech, Lily's burn wounds were cured.

"You there! What have you done to the sacrifice for our Sacred Beast?!"

Hearing the words of the foxman, Ryu's mind was filled with rage.

"Sacrifice...? To that creature...? We were intending to set that thing free, and you... repay that... BY KILLING HER?!"

"We don't care! And never call Great Femzek with 'that thing'! The Sacred Beast asked for a sacrifice and we obey! You humans are no more than food for us!"

Ryu was silent. Hearing those words made his mind overflown with rage.

"Kill him and take back the sacrifice! We still have time!"

The crowd of foxmen charged towards Ryu and Lily. The ranged attackers shot their offensive spells and arrows.

"You... FOUL BEAST!"

Suddenly, an energy barrier appeared, surrounding Ryu and Lily. All the foxmen tried attacking him, but the barrier didn't even get a scratch. No melee strikes, arrows, or fireballs could put a dent on it.

Seeing their futile attempts, the crowd dispersed and stayed at a distance. They waited to see what would happen next.

Soon, the barrier disappeared. And in its place a strange, almost pure white creature appeared. In size, the creature was about human size and the body shape was more or less humanoid. However, attached to its back were three pairs of large arms, each arm was about as big as the creature's body.

 _Julius Nifta_

The creature then teleported right above the enclosed space where Femzek resided. A large blue energy sphere as big as itself appeared right in front of it.

The sphere sucked everything within a large radius around it.

The Great Femzek

The foxmen.

Their houses.

The trees.

The ground itself.

Every single thing were sucked into the sphere, and when they touch it they just disintegrated into nothing.

Once the creature was done with the sphere, it just disappeared. All that was left of the hidden foxman village was just a huge circular crater of red soil and fallen trees that didn't make it to the sphere. Nobody would find any evidence that foxmen used to live there because they would only see a crater two kilometers wide.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"What is that thing?"

Albedo questioned, seeing the creature Ryu had just summoned. Nobody in Nazarick has ever seen Ryu summoning a creature like that.

Ainz, on the other hand, knew from his instinct that the creature was dangerous.

[Message]

"Mare! Take Aura, Ryu, and Lily and get out of there! NOW!"

"Y-yes!"

Mare then used his teleportation spell to teleport to Aura, then Mass Teleport to Ryu and Lily, and finally Mass Teleport all four of them away from there.

Ainz knew Mare teleported away on time, although he didn't know where the four of them ended up at. He put that aside, and directed his eyes at the Mirror of Remote Viewing to see what would happen next.

One minute later, the everyone in the room, Ainz included, stood still with their mouths agape.

"Such. Power."

"Ainz-sama. Did my foolish eyes deceive me...?"

"No... Definitely no..."

The sight was unbelievable. That level of destruction was even greater than the Super-Tier spell Fallen Down. No, any Super-Tier spell would be weaker than that. The only thing Ainz could think of which could match that power was Grand Catastrophe, a spell exclusive to World Disaster class. Even that might be still weaker.

At this point, Message was still connected to Mare.

"Mare, where are you?"

"W-We are right in front of Nazarick front gate, Ainz-sama"

"Alright. Stand by"

[Gate]

Ainz conjured a dark portal, and soon Mare and Aura came out from it, followed by Ryu who was carrying the still-bound Lily. She saw Ainz and looked surprised.

"Welcome back to Nazarick, Ryu"

"You know him, Ryu-san?"

Ainz approached Ryu, who just stayed silent.

"I believe your companion would like to be released, Ryu"

"Uhh... they tried but they couldn't. These ropes are enchanted"

"Oh... Excuse me then, Ryu"

Ainz took Lily from Ryu's arms and put her on the floor.

[All Appraisal Magic Item]

"I see... This item normally can only be broken by a specially enchanted blade. But a greater magic power can work just fine"

[Greater Break Item]

The ropes disintegrated into nothing, setting Lily free. She tried moving her arms and legs around, but they ached all over. Ainz noticed her pained face.

"I will have a room prepared for you. You should rest"

"Thank you... Uhh..."

"My name is Ainz Ooal Gown"

Lily tried hard to put herself into proper position, ignoring the pain.

"Thank you for your generosity, Ainz Ooal Gown – dono"

"You can address me with just Ainz. Now, Ryu, you have been silent so far. What's the matter?"

"I... I have done a terrible thing"

"Terrible thing, you say?"

Ryu put his hands on his head.

"I... I commited genocide! What have I done?!"

From Ryu's words, Ainz could conclude that he was shocked on what he had just done. Trying to calm him down with mere speech would be just a waste of time.

"Aura, calm him down"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

Aura then breathed something from her mouth towards Ryu's face. Upon inhaling it, Ryu's face calmed down. A bit too calm in fact.

"Have you collected yourself?"

"Yes, Ainz-dono"

"Now, explain to me about what you did back there"

"Photon Blast"

"Photon Blast, you say?"

"Every once in a while, I can do a Photon Blast to summon a Photon Beast. My Photon Beast, Julius, is adjusted to create an all-sucking sphere upon being summoned"

"I see. Is that a rare thing from where you came?"

"No. Almost everyone there can do it, each with their own version of Photon Beast. Mine is among the most common. Also, if more than one person do a Photon Blast together, the summoned Photon Beasts come out stronger the more people involved"

Ainz's jaw dropped hearing that. A single, most common beast could devastate such a large area. What would happen if a bunch of hostile soldiers as strong as Ryu summoned rare beasts together? Nazarick would never stand a chance. This is all the more reason to keep Ryu allied with him no matter what.

"I see. In any case, you two should rest. Aura, guide them to the guest room"

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

Before Aura could show them the way, Lily asked a question.

"Ryu-san. May I know more about Ainz-dono? You seem to already know him for a while"

"Ah..."

Ryu looked at Ainz. At this point keeping it a secret gives no benefit and telling her gives no actual danger, so Ainz nodded. Ryu noticed and nodded too.

"Lily. Ainz Ooal Gown, is your creator"

Lily looked surprised, and she slowly turned her head to Ainz. She then slowly walked to Ainz and kneeled with one knee right in front of him.

"Ainz-dono. Please allow me to express my gratitude for creating me"

"You don't need to. I just thought that Ryu could use a companion"

"It was exactly thanks to that, that now I have the best master I could ever ask for. So... thank you very much"

"Your gratitude is accepted. Now go rest your body"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ryu and Lily got the same bedroom Ryu had used to sleep in back then. Since there was only one bed, they had to share the bed. Lily had offered to sleep on the floor, but Ryu adamantly forced her to sleep on the bed with him.

"Ryu-san"

"Yes?"

"Are you disappointed in me?"

"Why would I?"

"I failed the guard duty and got captured, and you had to go through all that to rescue me"

"It was not your fault. The enemy was more than you could possibly handle"

"No, I was stronger than the foxman, but I got careless and ambushed by the fox creature"

"Two on one is a proof that I was right"

"But..."

"No buts. Look, Lily. You are the best partner I could have ever asked for. No matter how many times this will happen, I will always come to save you again"

There was a silence for a few seconds.

"T-Thank you, Ryu-san. I'm so happy to have you as my master"

Lily leaked tears of happiness saying that.

"Let's go sleep"

Ryu turned away and put on his blanket. He didn't want to melt from seeing Lily's face.

"Ryu-san, may I ask a question?"

"Hmm?"

"I didn't get to see what that Photon Beast do, but it seems Ainz-dono is impressed by its power. Is that truly the most common beast?"

"Yeah, it is the most common because it is arguably the strongest of all, so pretty much everyone changed their assigned beast to that"

"Wait what? Is that an easy matter?"

"Yes, just go to a shop and pay the appropriate price. They will give you a device to change your assigned beast, no questions asked"

"I think Ainz-dono took your words the wrong way"

"Is that so? Should I tell him?"

"Up to you, Ryu-san"

"Well, he and everyone serving him are much stronger than me, so I guess I will keep it this way so he would be impressed on at least one thing I have"

"You sneaky!"

The two of them laughed a little, and then they went to sleep.

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 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Meanwhile in the throne room, Ainz was sitting on the throne. The guardians except Demiurge and Shalltear were there with him.

"Listen, guardians. Spread the news to all denizens of Nazarick that Ryu Seika must be treated with respect in the name of Ainz Ooal Gown. He has proven to be capable of doing dangerous feats, and somewhere out there exists thousands of people at least as strong as him. At the current situation we will have no chance to survive if those people turn hostile to us, so this is a necessary step to maintain good alliance with him and hopefully those people as well. I am fully aware that respecting a human might sully our pride, but survival is more important. Heed my command without objections!"

"We will obey your command without objections, Ainz-sama!"

All the guardians replied together.

"Keep in mind to respect him in moderation. An exaggerated favor currying will likely backfire. As for our next step, we will launch an invasion to the lizardman tribes. I will prepare a plan to also bait those who mind-controlled Shalltear at the same time. Stand by until then"

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

The guardians were dismissed, and only Albedo remained by his side.

"So, Ainz-sama. Is now the time?"

"The time for what?"

"For me to be your damsel in distress~~"

Albedo once again said that with inviting pose.

"No. It is never the time for that"

"Aww..."

"Anyway, Albedo. Have you noticed that Lily is now weaker?"

Albedo returned to her stern face and uptight position.

"Yes, unfortunately"

"The Eight Edge Assassin inside her emerged right before Ryu grabbed her. He did not get to do anything, and then he was right under that Photon Beast when it happened. What a waste"

"She also lost all the equipment you gave her, except that one gauntlet"

"That equipment set is trash anyway, so there's pretty much no loss on that matter"

"Are you going to have him pay the loss of the Eight Edge Assassin?"

"I'd like to, but since he had no idea about his existence I have to make him do that without him knowing"

"How would you do that, Ainz-sama?"

"I will have him help me in the lizardman invasion plan"

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 **[X][X][X]**

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 **With this chapter volume 3 has been caught up. Thank you for those following so far.**


	15. Chapter 12: Assignment for Later

**Hi, author here! I have a question to ask.**

 **Chronologically, according to wiki there is a two weeks time gap between Ainz's battle with Shalltear and the day Cocytus send a warning message to the lizardman tribes. Would you prefer me to write filler original stories to fill the gap or just timeskip to the lizardman arc? I'm fine with either, so feel free to let me know about your preference. If there's a tie in the'vote' I will flip a coin.**

 **In any case, here is the next chapter.**

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 **[X][X][X]**

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"Good morning, Ryu-san!"

Ryu woke up hearing Lily's greetings, but his body stayed lying down on the bed and covered in blanket. He really wanted to stay asleep.

"Good morning, Lily..."

He yawned saying that. Then he took a glance at the nearby clock hanged on the wall.

Six in the morning.

Ryu tried to get himself up slowly and steadily. It took a few minutes, but he finally got into sitting position, and soon enough he managed to stand up. He then instantly changed into his battle suit like how he always did every morning.

Soon enough, breakfast came like how it had been when Ryu was still staying at Nazarick back then. Though this time the one bringing it was not Narberal.

It was a maid with the head of a dog which seemed to have been vertically split in half and then sewn back together. The first sight of her was really unsettling.

"Enjoy your meal, woof"

She was about to leave when Ryu finally snapped out of his bewilderment and asked her a question.

"Excuse me, may I know your name?"

"My name is Pestonya Shortcake Wanko. If you need anything feel free to call me, woof"

"Ah, yes. Thank you for your service"

Pestonya then left the room.

It was a given that Lily got astonished by the dish that had been delivered to the bedroom. It was something that only a luxurious restaurant would serve in town.

"Where did Ainz-dono got all these?!"

"Don't ask me"

Later, when they finished eating, Ryu told Lily about his plan for today.

"I'm going to see Ainz-dono and ask if he would let us go back to town"

"Huh? That sounds... weird. I mean, why wouldn't he?"

"Let's just say that I owe him a lot"

In truth, Ryu felt really bad for committing genocide on the foxmen. If Aura had been there to investigate them, it might meant that Ainz had wanted to make use of them in some way, most likely to learn new information about this world. However, Ryu had totally crushed his plan because of Julius Nifta disintegrating them all into nothing. Moreover, he had lost the entirety of Lily's equipment except the one gauntlet he still had with him.

 _Ahh, I might have lost some of his respect on me, if he had any to begin with_.

With that worry in mind, Ryu went to the throne room with Lily going alongside him. When he arrived, Ainz as usual was sitting on the throne, though this time Albedo was not with him. He was alone.

"Ah, Ryu. I have been expecting you"

Ryu kneeled with one knee and Lily followed.

"I would like to thank you for your patronage once again"

"Just stand up. I have told you before that you don't need to kneel, no?"

"I just believe that I need to do this because I have failed you and now my debt on you has stacked even higher"

"Debt, huh? Raise your head"

Ryu raised his head as commanded.

"You believe that you have debt on me. Now tell me, what things which made you believe so"

 _Is this a test?Or a trap?_

Ainz's ambiguity made Ryu hesitate on what to tell. Telling too many might made him ended up being taken advantage of, while telling too few might make him sound shameless and ungrateful even though he would not mean so. So far, Ainz gave impressions on Ryu that he was not a bad man, but he was not a good man either. He would do both good deeds and bad deeds as long as they gave him benefits.

Ryu's mind went into overdrive thinking on what things he should mention to Ainz. In the end he decided to tell everything which he believed had come from Ainz's 'generosity'

"I failed to protect the companion you entrusted to me"

Lily intervened.

"It was not his fault, Ainz-dono! I carelessly let my guard down back then!"

"Lily, I'm still hearing your master's answers. Let him finish"

Lily lowered her head, though her eyes kept glancing at Ryu with worried looks.

"I lost all her equipment as well. Only one gauntlet remained"

"Uh-huh"

Ainz leaned on his throne with his right hand rubbing his chin.

"I made Aura-dono, whom I met by chance, help me even though it was not her job"

"Hmm..."

"My Photon Blast have put Aura-dono and Mare-dono in great danger"

There was a silence for a few seconds.

"Anything else, Ryu?"

There was one more thing in Ryu's mind, which was about accidentally thwarting Ainz's plan to make use of the foxmen thanks to the genocide caused by Photon Blast. But should he tell Ainz? To begin with, Ainz may or may not have a plan on the foxmen. Telling this one might make him getting taken advantage of like he had been worrying about.

"I'm still waiting"

"I... I might have accidentally thwarted your plan to make use of the foxmen"

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 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Plan? What plan? I never had any plan on them to begin with._

That was the first thing coming to Ainz's mind when Ryu said about thwarting his plan. Well, he indeed thought of it but they were just mere quick plan in his head instead of an official plan he had announced to his subordinates. The loss of the foxmen instead provided him a new information about the capabilities of Ryu and the space army, and it was quite valuable to prepare for countermeasures in case they would become hostile to him.

 _Should I make use of this?_

Ainz pondered on his options. If he made use of Ryu's conscience too much he might appear as someone bad to the space army when they find out. However, he also didn't want to be too lenient or otherwise he would be taken advantage of.

Ainz actually had prepared a plan for Ryu, although the unknown factor was whether Ryu would cooperate or not. Ryu's personality was pretty much generic as far as Ainz could see until now, and helping in an invasion was likely not on his list of acceptable actions.

Still, like he had said himself before, sometimes a risk must be taken to go forward.

"Anything else to say, Ryu?"

"I'm sorry, but that was all I could think of at the moment"

"Well, your answer was... Let's say, sufficient. So, what are you going to do to repay your debt?"

"I have some amount of this world's currency, but I think Ainz-dono won't need such thing"

 _I might welcome that, actually. Momon could use some additional money_.

"Indeed. Therefore, I have a proposal for you. Raise up"

Ainz stood up from his throne. Ryu and Lily followed.

"I'm going to assign you a mission. Your performance and result will determine whether your debt is going to be repaid fully, partially, or not at all. Will you do it?"

"Yes, I will accomplish the mission to repay the debt"

 _He didn't even ask me any questions? Come on! Heh, guess I need to lecture him a bit._

"Are you sure about that statement? You're not even asking what kind of mission I'm going to give you"

"Whether I know or not, I don't have any choice, do I?"

"What would you do if the mission is to commit another genocide?"

Ryu got speechless hearing that.

"Listen, Ryu. You are fortunate that I am not someone who would squeeze you dry without hesitation"

 _I actually would if not for the space army out there_.

"You should learn to think about what is presented before you instead of accepting it just like that. You have known me not for long, but you should already be able to answer this question: Do you think I will kill you on the spot if you refuse the mission I am going to assign you?"

"...No"

"So?"

"Alright... Ainz-dono, may I know what kind of mission you're going to assign to me?"

"I want you to meet one of my guardians and give him advice for an oncoming battle"

"I apologize for questioning, but what advice can I possibly offer if all of your guardians are stronger than me?"

"You should ask him for details when you meet him later. In any case, there are still preparations to be made. You are free until then"

"Thank you for your generosity"

Ryu bowed in gratitude.

"If you wish to go back to the human city, E-Rantel wasn't it, you should tell me now. I will be out from this tomb for a while. Don't worry, I will call you back when it's time"

"Thank you again. And yes, I think we would like to go back. I need to find new equipment for Lily"

"Don't bother doing that. I will give you another"

"W-What?"

"And I expect you to take care of them properly this time"

"I will! Thank you very much"

"Ryu, you wait here. Lily, come with me"

Lily followed Ainz to the armory. In there he picked up a set of armor and weapons which was exactly the same as the one that had been lost. At least in shape.

The actual content within the set was much more than that.

The old set were just plain equipments made with metal material commonly found in level 40-50 dungeons back in Yggdrasil. This new set was the same to keep the item level below Lily's limit of 50, but some rather low level enchantments had been added into them. In total, the set gave the following effects: Increased max HP, passive HP regeneration, reduce incoming stab damage, reduce incoming fire damage, increased resistance to poison and paralysis, and low chance to survive with 1 HP upon taking fatal damage. Also, the swords were enchanted with magical damage, enabling them to deal damage to ethereal monsters.

All of them were enchantments to augment Lily's survivability, and this was done because of the thing Ainz was about to do.

[Time Stop]

With a cast of the spell, Lily was frozen in time.

"Come out here"

After saying that, a nearby weapon shelf transformed into something else. When the thing came into shape, it could be seen that it was a humanoid monster wearing a ninja outfit. It had been hiding there using its illusion skill.

"Kashin Koji. I believe you know what to do"

The ninja nodded, and it took out a scroll. Upon using the scroll, it became a wisp of light and was absorbed into Lily's body.

Ainz had done the same thing as when he first created Lily back then. He put a spy inside her body using Reverse Assimilation scroll to keep Ryu under surveillance and also to address her low default level. The enchantments were to reduce the risk of losing the spy like how it happened to the Eight Edge Assassin.

"Level 32 this time, huh?"

Ainz said that while appraising Lily's increased level. Thanks to Demiurge managing to secure a good supply of materials for scrolls, this time he had provided the spy five Message scrolls instead of just one.

Ainz then ended the effect of Time Stop, and Lily went back into motion without realizing anything.

"Put them on"

"Uhh... right here...?"

Lily seemed shy saying that. Ainz then realized it.

 _Oh right, she's now a conscious girl after all_.

The new armor set also included the shirt, shorts, and socks. Putting them on meant she had to put off the ones she was currently wearing.

"I will stand right outside the door"

After saying that, Ainz left the armory and stood outside the door. It only took less than five minutes until he heard someone knocking from the inside.

"Are you done, Lily?"

"Yes, Ainz-dono"

Ainz opened the door and he immediately saw Lily, fully equipped with the armor and weapon set like she had used to be. On the table behind her was the old shirt, shorts, and socks. They were neatly folded, though the damages were still very noticeable.

"You look good in it"

"Thank you, Ainz-dono"

"Let's go back to your master"

Ainz and Lily went back to the throne room. Ryu was walking around in circles, looking as if his mind was somewhere else. He eventually noticed them coming.

"Ah, Lily! Glad to see you back in those suits again!"

"Me too, Ryu-san!"

Lily ran ahead from Ainz to approach Ryu. Ainz kept walking normally until he was close enough to the two of them.

"Despite the same appearance, the new equipments are better than before because I have applied some enchantments on them. Use them well"

Ryu seemed to be in slight disbelief hearing what Ainz had just said.

"Do I even deserve such patronage?"

"I did it not for you, but for her"

"Huh? Me?"

"Lily, you are my creation. So in a sense, you are one of my children. Therefore I will see to it that you are well prepared to face whatever awaits out there"

 _Not really, though. I didn't take my time to handcraft her, so my attachment to her, while not completely void, isn't high._

All of a sudden, Lily jumped to Ainz and hugged him.

"W-what are you doing?"

"I don't know. I just... feel so happy to have you as my creator"

After a bit of a sigh, Ainz gave Lily a gentle caressing on her back. She probably couldn't feel it because of the armor, but he did it anyway.

 _Glad that Albedo and Shalltear aren't here to see this_. _Can't imagine their reaction if they are_.

Lily released her hug after one minute, and she went back to Ryu.

"Alright, so, you still want to go back to E-Rantel?"

"Yes, there are a few things I would like to do"

[Gate]

"This will take you to the woods near the city. Be well until we meet again"

"You too, Ainz-dono. Thank you, and be well"

Ryu and Lily entered the dark portal, and after they were gone Ainz dispelled it.

 _Alright, now..._

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 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

The other end of the portal was indeed in the middle of a forest like Ainz had said. It wasn't hard to find the way out, and when they got out E-Rantel was within sight.

Once they were in the city, Ryu immediately went to the Adventurer's Guild and then he approached the receptionist lady.

"Good morning. How may I help you?"

"Is it possible to send a message to a group of adventurers in another city through here?"

"Yes, we regularly send and receive messengers to and from other Adventurer's Guild headquarters. You can go over there if you need to write a letter, or if the message is short you can tell me directly and I will take care of the rest"

The lady pointed towards a corner of the room. There were several vacant desks there placed against the wall, each desk had a thin stack of papers, a small vial of ink, and a quill pen.

"I just need to send a short message"

"Alright. Please specify your name and the receiver"

"My name is Ryu. Receiver is Swords of Darkness team in Re-Estize capital, namely Peter, Lukrut, Dyne, and Ninya"

"Please speak the message"

"Lily and I are back in E-Rantel safe and sound. Good luck and be well"

The lady wrote down everything Ryu had specified.

"The cost will be three coppers"

Ryu took out a small pouch from his coat's inner pocket and took three copper coins from it. He gave the coins to the lady.

"I have received the payment. Your message will be delivered by the next messenger going to Re-Estize"

"Thank you. By the way, I can't use this service to send a message to a village, can I?"

"Unfortunately we can't help you there. In that case you should either pay a messenger or a merchant who will be going there. Or you can post a delivery job quest"

 _The last option is probably going to be too expensive just for telling Frohd that I'm all right._

"Alright then, thank you for the help"

Ryu then sat down on a vacant seat and Lily sat next to him. Other adventurers in the room just went on their own business like they normally would.

"Any ideas for what to do next, Ryu-san?"

"Well, there's something I would like to investigate, but I still don't know where to start"

Ryu was speaking about how he had ended up on this planet. He couldn't remember much about the incident in which the ARKS spaceship he had been on got destroyed. He remembered the deafening noise of the alarm telling that the ship's hull were failing. He also remembered the chaos of both operatives and citizens running to evacuation ships.

It was at such time the true nature of each person was in full display. Ryu had seen people who selflessly let their friends and family board the evacuation ships even though that had meant there would be no more room for them. He also had seen the other side of the coin where some people pushed their way. Ryu himself was somewhere inbetween. He had not pushed his way out, but he had not prioritized anyone else over himself either.

"Ryu-san? Your face looks... serious. What's going on?"

"Ah, sorry. I was remembering about my past"

"The place you were from?"

"Yes. I can't seem to remember how I ended up here when the great disaster struck"

"Ryu-san. You have said it a few times, but what is this 'great disaster'?"

"It's hard to describe in detail. Let's just say it wiped out everything without mercy"

"Oh..."

"Give me a few more minutes to recollect my memory. After that we will check out the job board"

"Alright"

Ryu then resumed his effort of memory recollection. At this point his memory was quite blurry, but he vaguely remembered that despite his efforts he didn't get any vacant spot in any evacuation ships that had not been rendered broken by the Dark Falz attack. He was simply one of the unfortunate people who didn't make it in time.

 _But I survived right here. Why?_

Ryu had no idea how he had survived the disaster and ended up on this unknown planet. However, the fact that he woke up in this world lying on a grassland provided him with a clue.

The ships used to evacuate were programmed to fly to another ARKS ship and land at its port. However, a different type of ship, namely a Gate Ship, worked differently. When it arrived at a relatively close distance to its destination, it would activate a portal inside to teleport operatives to the ground.

Judging from that, it was very likely that Ryu had somehow evacuated himself using a Gate Ship. Thinking about that, it had been quite a feat because he remembered hearing that the section where Gate Ships were docked had been the one struck first, so the chance of finding an operational one had been slim.

 _Well, it was a literal do or die situation. But wait, that means..._

If it was true, then it meant the Gate Ship which Ryu had used should be still flying in the vicinity of the planet. But why didn't his communication device pick it up? The only answer he could think of was that the Gate Ship had fallen somewhere on this planet. Or worst case scenario, it blew up into pieces.

The memory recollection had turned out to bring a good result. With the conclusion he had drawn, Ryu knew that his first step was to look for the remains of the Gate Ship somewhere on this planet, and with luck he might be able to salvage it. It would definitely be a very long term goal with low chance of success, but there was still hope to get back to his duty.

With the recollection concluded, Ryu stood up from the seat.

"Let's check the board"

"Alright, Ryu-san!"

Lily followed with excitement, and the two of them went to the board. However, before they could check any of the papers, a commotion occured. Ryu turned around to see what had started it, and what he saw was indeed quite commotion-worthy.

It was Momon and Nabe, all worn out and beat up as if they had been in a very tough fight.

All the adventurers whispered to each other, questioning on what could have done such damage to them. Ryu himself questioned the same because he had just met Ainz this morning and he was as healthy as ever. The two of them still walked nonchalantly to the guild counter anyway.

"I have defeated the vampire"

Momon said that with a straight tone, and the receptionist lady was startled.

"P-please share the details if possible!"

"The vampire was too strong for our fighting skills alone, so I had to use my magic crystal trump card. Unfortunately, Kralga team perished during the fight"

"A-Alright. We will send an investigation team to the battlefield. Did it change location?"

"No, still the same place it was last spotted"

"Are you hurt? Do you need healing?"

"We only need some rest, so we will head back to the inn. I would like to have my armor repaired, however"

"U-Understood! We will arrange that!"

The two adventurers then went back out and disappeared from sight behind the entrance door. Immediately, all the adventurers talked to each other about what had just happened. Ryu could hear some of them.

"If Kralga perished that must mean the vampire is very strong"

"How strong those two can be?"

"Could this be the birth of a new Adamantite team?"

Ryu, being curious, approached the lady and asked a question.

"Excuse me, I think I was late into the news. What has happened to Momon?"

The lady then directed Ryu and Lily to a different staff member. From the other lady Ryu learned about the emergence of an incredibly powerful vampire in a place not too far from the city. Momon happened to know the vampire very well for personal reasons, and he had wished to engage the vampire alone. Kralga, a Mithril rank team, ignored the wish and went with him anyway. This had happened the day before today.

"I see. Thank you"

Hearing the information, Ryu couldn't help thinking that something was off. Momon himself had confirmed that he was Ainz. He met Ainz this morning and he was as fine as ever. Then just now suddenly he saw Momon all beat up from a battle which was supposed to happen yesterday.

 _Is this a trick for gaining fame?_

While it was pretty likely that his guess was true, Ryu decided to keep it to himself.

"Let's check out the board for real this time"

"Alright, Ryu-san"

Ryu and Lily then went back to the job board to see if there were any interesting job to take. His hope was to eventually reach the highest rank to gain easier access to informations which might lead to the remains of the Gate Ship, if it existed. He also hoped that whatever mission Ainz was going to assign him would not be too hard for him.

Whatever will happen, time will tell.


	16. Chapter 13: Recon And Rescue Mission

**Hi, all!**

 **Since the vote favored filler story, here is the next chapter.**

 **Cliffhanger warning. ;)**

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 **[X][X][X]**

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Ryu and Lily browsed the job board at Adventurer's Guild, they were trying to find a suitable job to pass time while waiting for Ainz to call Ryu back.

"An archaeology team is looking for an escort for their expedition to a newly discovered ruin. Gold Rank, five gold coins"

"Wanna take it, Ryu-san?"

"I don't think so. There's no telling how long the expedition will last"

Ryu's main reason was that Ainz might call him back during the job, and Ryu could guess that he wouldn't wait for him to finish the job, so leaving the job midway was quite likely. Therefore it would be best to avoid any jobs that involved working with other people for extended period of time for now.

Ryu kept combing the posted papers with his eyes, and soon something caught his attention.

"Investigate the contents of a newly discovered cave. Platinum Rank, twenty gold coins"

"Sounds strange if you ask me"

Ryu couldn't help agreeing with Lily. The text on the paper was very short and didn't provide much information. There's not even any information about the location of the cave in question, and why such a seemingly simple task asked for Platinum rank. Ryu got curious, so he took the paper and went to the receptionist lady.

"I might want to take this job, but first I would like to hear more info about this job"

"Please wait in a conference room. A staff will be there shortly"

Ryu and Lily then went to a vacant conference room as instructed. The two of them took a seat and waited for a few minutes until someone entered the room.

To their surprise, it was Pluton Ainzach.

"Good day, Ryu-san and Lily-san. It's nice to see you again"

"The same applies to me, Ainzach-dono"

Ryu stood up and he shook hands with Ainzach. Lily did the same, and then all three of them sat down.

"Let's get to the point. First, the background of this job. Two weeks ago, a group of hunters went missing in a forest. Some scouts were dispatched, but they didn't find anything other than a cave. Therefore, an investigation job on that cave was posted. This job was only Silver rank at first, but unfortunately the group which accepted the job one week ago never returned. Therefore the job has been raised two ranks up"

"In short, this is likely a dangerous mission. Investigation, maybe also search and rescue in addition"

"Exactly, Ryu-san. Depending on what you find the rewards might increase"

"I see"

"I highly recommend working together with another team. It will be a great loss if we lose a capable team such as yours. We already lost a Mithril team thanks to the vampire incident which Sir Momon cleared"

"Is Platinum rank already rare?"

"I told you that you are supposed to be Orichalcum if not for circumstances, didn't I?"

"Oh, right..."

"I won't stop you if you feel confident, but please be careful"

"We will. So, where is this cave?"

"I will arrange a wagon to carry you to the village near the forest. You will arrive there before sunset if everything goes well. You will have to provide the way back yourself, unfortunately"

"Alright then"

With the job decided and accepted, Ryu and Lily arranged their rations before going to ride the assigned wagon. After making sure that they had enough supplies to last at least three days, they went to the back door of the guild building. That entrance was usually supposed to be staff-only, but they had been told to use that door because the wagon would pick them up there.

Indeed, a wagon pulled by two horses arrived there ten minutes later. The driver stopped the wagon right in front of the door and looked at Ryu and Lily.

"Ryu and Lily, I suppose? Get in and sit on any available space"

The two of them went into the wagon, and then their trip began. There was not much space to sit inside the wagon because of the number of stuffs inside. In fact, the remaining space was so small that in order for them to be able to sit down, they had to sit next to each other packed like sardines in a can.

"Sorry about the lack of space. Even I don't have much space here"

The driver said it looking at the stuffs put along with him at the driver seat. The wagon was pretty much overloaded it didn't feel right.

"Is there a reason why the wagon is overloaded like this?"

"I got carried away taking orders without keeping mind of my wagon's capacity"

The driver said it sounding embarrassed. It seemed that he was still a new merchant.

"I just hope that I won't get too cramped to do my job once we arrive"

"Your destination is Padstow Village according to the notes I received. We will stop at a different village halfway to drop some deliveries. You should have more space by then"

"That's reassuring"

The cramped trip continued on for about two hours. It felt so uncomfortable and hot that Ryu tried casting Nabarta, an 'icethrower' photon tech, to act as an air conditioner. Thankfully, casting it without the weapon made the tech weak enough to not freeze the whole wagon.

As the driver had said, the wagon stopped at a village after a total of two and a half hours trip. The driver unloaded the wagon in front of the chief's house after he received payment. Almost half of the stuffs were left there, so indeed afterwards there were much more space inside the wagon.

The trip continued, and this time it was much more comfortable for all three of them. The rest of the trip was uneventful, and as Ainzach had said, they arrived at Padstow Village right before sunset. An old man, seemingly the chief, welcomed the driver.

"Welcome back, Garret"

The man said as Garret, the driver, got off the wagon.

"Nice to see you again. As usual, I will be staying here for two days"

Garret shook hands with the man.

"Your lodging is always ready. By the way, who are these fellows?"

"They are adventurers coming to investigate the cave, according to this note"

"Oh, I see. But... only two?"

Ryu then replied to the question.

"Our team is only the two of us. Is there a concern?"

"The adventurer team before you had six people, but they went missing like the hunters. I don't want to add more casualties if I can help it"

"We will be careful"

"Well, your plate is Platinum so at least I know you're more capable. In any case, you should go there tomorrow since it's getting dark already"

"Is there a place where we can spend the night?"

"Garret, I suppose you don't mind sharing your lodging with them?"

"I was about to offer exactly that"

Garret's answer settled things for Ryu and Lily. He then led the horses into a designated spot nearby, which was a water trough next to a small house. He tethered the horses to a pair of stakes next to the trough, and then he began unloading his stuffs into the house.

"Let me help you unload"

"Sure, I could use some help"

The unloading went smoothly and quickly, especially thanks to Lily being able to carry heavy load casually. The unloading which normally would take half an hour was finished in ten minutes.

"Aaaand done!"

Lily put down the last of the cargo inside the house's storage room.

"Your strength is amazing. How did you get that strong?"

Instead of Lily herself, it was Ryu who covered for her.

"Her armor has some magic enchantments"

It was not a lie because indeed Lily's armor had enchantments from Ainz, but Ryu himself had no idea where her strength came from because she was already strong even before she was given her enchanted armor. Ryu gave that answer because he felt that it was the most sensible answer at the moment. There's no way someone as short as Lily and without significant muscle build could have such physical strength without magical enhancements, right?

"Oh, I see. That would be handy for me. Where I can get something like that?"

"Unfortunately we have no idea. Her armor was a gift from an acquaintance and he didn't tell where he got those"

"That's unfortunate"

Ryu decided to divert the topic before he got inquired further about it.

"By the way, you seem familiar with the chief. Have you known him for a while?"

"Yes, he is a distant relative. Once a month I come here to open up shop for two days"

"What do you sell to them?"

"Clothes, farming tools, food seasoning, and other stuffs. The business goes two ways since I also buy their available harvest to sell in the city"

"Sounds like good business"

"Not as sweet as it sounds. Sometimes sales just don't go as high as expected, or bad weather ruining my stuffs, and other bad things that may happen"

"Like monsters and bandits"

"Exactly! I actually always hire escorts for trips like this, but bringing you two saved me the cost! I'm thankful for that!"

"The gratitude goes both ways. You provided us transport for the job"

The idle chat between the three of them continued for a short while until they decided to call it a day and sleep. The small house only had one bed, but Garret stacked some cloth sheets on the floor to act as a mat, and stuffed clothes into two cloth bags to act as pillows. The end result was comfortable enough to sleep.

"Are you sure you don't want the bed? I don't mind sleeping on the floor"

Garret expressed his concern, but Ryu refused.

"The bed is yours from the beginning. Don't worry, we have slept in the wilderness a few times. This is already comfortable than those times"

"Alright then"

The three of them went to sleep, and nothing happened until the time the sun rose. Garret was definitely the first to wake up, since when Ryu and Lily woke up Garret was not on his bed and they heard some noise outside. The two of them went out to check, and they saw Garret setting up his shop. The sky was still a bit dark at this point.

"Good morning, Garret. As expected of a merchant"

"Good morning, Ryu-san and Lily-san"

"Do you need help?"

"I got this, so don't worry. You have your own job to do, right? Go see the chief. His house is that one"

Garret pointed at a distant house. The house was slightly wider than the houses near it.

"Oh, right. See you later then"

Ryu and Lily went to the house, and when they arrived Ryu knocked on the door. It took less than ten seconds for someone to open the door. It was the old man.

"Ah, you two. I believe you came for the location of the cave, right?"

Ryu nodded, and the man came out from his house.

"Follow me"

Ryu and Lily followed the man to the edge of the village where a small grass plain was located beyond. In a short distance further there was a forest which looked like just an ordinary forest.

"The cave is inside that forest. If you walk straight you will see a small river. Walk along the river against the current, and then cross it once you see a natural bridge made from a large fallen tree. The cave should be visible by then"

"I see. We will be going immediately then"

"Uhh, I'm not questioning your skills, but are you totally sure about going with just two?"

"Yes, rest assured"

"Alright then. Good luck"

The old man then went back to the village. Ryu looked at the forest at the distance, and he felt that he wanted to try something.

"Lily, I want to test something. But this might hurt you a bit"

"I'll bear it, Ryu-san!"

"Are you sure?"

"I will surely bear any pain for you, Ryu-san!"

"Get on my back"

Ryu said that, turning his back to Lily and lowering his body.

"Uhh... what?"

"Get on my back and cling to me"

"Okay..."

Lily was confused, but she did as Ryu told her to. Once she got on his back, Ryu stood up. It was a little difficult because she was pretty heavy, probably because of her armor and weapons.

"Hold on tight"

"Okay!"

"...but not too tight that I can't breathe..."

"Sorry..."

"Alright, here we go"

 _Ilzonde!_

Ryu casted the lightning tech which propelled him forward at high speed. He stopped at the very edge of the forest five seconds later. Lily was still clinging to him.

"Are you alright, Lily? Do you feel hurt somewhere?"

There was no answer.

 _Don't tell me she fainted._

"Hey, Lily?"

"That was... amazing! What was that, Ryu-san?!"

Lily sounded really excited saying that. In a way, it gave Ryu a relief.

"Tell me first. Are you hurt somewhere?"

"Nope! Not at all!"

"Not even any pain?"

"Just some minor stinging sensation. Nothing else!"

"Alright. Get down then"

After Lily got down, Ryu then looked at the grass plains behind. There were no trails of burned grass at all.

 _It turns out to be true._

Ryu suspected something from the moment he tried using Nabarta inside the wagon back then. Using photon techs without wielding his Weddle Park would render Ilzonde weak enough to not cause any significant collateral damage or friendly fire. With his weapon wielded, Ryu's control was still sufficient to adjust the covered distance of Ilzonde, but the lightning aura was still very damaging.

Wthout the weapon, Ilzonde became much slower than the fully powered with weapon version, but eliminating the collateral damage and friendly fire almost completely enabled Ryu to use it more often for its utility.

"That was a lightning spell which moves me forward at high speed. I rescued you with it back then, remember?"

"Yeah... vaguely..."

 _Oh, stupid me!_

Ryu just realized that he had just made Lily remember the horrible experience she had with the foxmen. He cursed himself for not being careful with his words.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to make you remember the experience!"

"Huh? What? There's nothing wrong with that. I just couldn't remember that moment clearly. Anyway, that spell was amazing! Can we make use of that more often?"

"Probably not. The lightning aura I emit during the spell might hurt someone else too close"

"Aww..."

"Let's go to the cave"

The two of them went into the forest and walked according to the directions provided by the old man. The directions was accurate in the end, because once they crossed the river the cave was visible a short distance away.

Once they got close to the cave entrance, they stopped to look around. At a glance, the cave itself seemed like just another naturally formed cave, but the size was noticeably larger than the one cave they had entered once during their Copper rank days.

"We have nobody like Saku and Kusa now, so let's prepare the torches"

Back in the guild before their departure, they had also supplied themselves with a few sticks of torches. They also bought some flints to light the torches, but Ryu's recent discovery made things easier.

 _Foie_

A single cast of Foie without his weapon made a small fireball enough to light a torch stick, and just that. There was no oversized fireball which could incinerate tens of undeads or burn down a forest.

With the torch alight, Ryu used it to light another for Lily.

"Alright, you ready?"

"Ready!"

With everything settled, the two of them entered the cave. Once they got pretty deep inside, their viewing range was limited with only their torches as the source of light. However, so far the cave seemed to be just a normal cave. The rock formation seemed natural, and the cave was tall enough for Ryu to walk without lowering his body.

"Keep your eyes open. Remember that adventurers have gone missing in this cave"

"Yes, Ryu-san"

The two of them kept advancing slowly, being careful with possible traps within the cave. Eventually, the cave branched into two separate paths.

"What are we going to do, Ryu-san?"

"One thing for sure: separating is the worst idea"

"Fully agree!"

"Lily, draw an arrow on the ground pointing to the way back"

With her sword, Lily slashed the ground three times, creating a figure of an arrow pointing right where they had come from.

"Let's head... left"

The two of them advanced to the left, hoping that there would be no more branches. Soon, what they saw was a dead end. Just a rock wall with nothing special. However...

"The ground near the dead end seems off"

"Yes, Ryu-san. It seems something was recently buried there"

"Let's dig it up"

Ryu and Lily began digging the ground to see what had been buried there. Because they had no shovel, they had to make do with Lily's swords. Lily was of course the one digging faster thanks to her strength.

 **Clink!**

"I think I hit something"

"Let's continue digging slowly with hand"

The two of them continued digging with their hands. It took a minute until they saw an object which looked like a part of a leather armor. At this point both of them had a really bad feeling.

And their hunch was true.

Further digging revealed that it was a corpse of an adventurer. The flesh had completely decomposed, leaving only a skeleton under the armor. Further deeper into the hole they just dug, some other equipment and skeleton parts could be seen, telling that the one they just found was not the only one.

"This is strange"

"Why, Ryu-san?"

"If these are the adventurers missing from one week ago, the body should have not become a skeleton yet. It normally takes at least one month for a body to lose all flesh"

At least that was how things worked back in Ryu's place. This world had true magic, so things might worked differently.

"Now that you mention it, yes indeed it is strange"

"No need to dig further. We now know that something dangerous is inside this cave"

"So what are we going to do now?"

"Let's proceed to the other way with caution"

The two of them went back to the fork. The arrow mark was still there pointing to the way they had come from. They went into the remaining path carefully with Lily covering the front and Ryu keeping watch at the back.

Suddenly...

"Waah!"

Lily fell down into the ground and disappeared, as if there was a deep hole there.

"Lily!"

Ryu quickly ran towards the spot where Lily disappeared. There seemed to be nothing strange there. No holes or trap mechanism or such was visible. Ryu tried probing his free hand to the ground.

And it went through.

His hand went through the ground as if the solid ground he saw was not there.

"Illusion magic?"

Without much thinking, Ryu stood up and jumped into the false ground. No matter what lied beyond the trap, he had to save Lily. That was what went in his mind.

Inside the false ground was a steep slide. The sliding experience lasted for less than ten seconds at breakneck speed, and in the end Ryu found himself in a a large space within the cave. The space was a roughly circular dome about a hundred meters diameter and ten meters tall. Strangely, the space was well-lit so Ryu could clearly see everything. But other than the hole where he had come from, there was nothing else in sight.

"Lily! Are you there?!"

Ryu shouted, calling Lily. There was no answer, but suddenly something appeared out of thin air.

It was a red energy vortex, seemingly a portal. The vortex was about five meters tall.

The vortex disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and once it disappeared something was left in its place.

It was a humanoid creature, seemingly armored with stone-like material. The creature was about four meters tall, and its armor was of dark color with several stripes of red. It was carrying a huge curved sword almost as big as itself.

Ryu couldn't believe what he saw in front of his eyes.

There was no mistaking it.

The creature was definitely something he had known for a long time.

It was Hunar, the humanoid form of a Dark Falz.


	17. Chapter 14: Knowledge Kills

**Hi all,**

 **I have nothing special to say this time around. Here is the next chapter in any case.**

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 **[X][X][X]**

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Ryu had accepted this cave investigation job quest expecting a somewhat normal threat to this world's standards, so he was totally caught off guard to see what has been unfolded in front of his eyes.

Right in front of him was Hunar, the humanoid form of a Dark Falz, an entity only caring about corrupting, consuming, and ultimately destroying planets with Darkers as its minions to help it do the job.

The humanoid form of a Dark Falz was still not strong enough to actually destroy a planet, but it was still a dangerous threat not recommended for any ARKS operatives to engage alone.

But Ryu did not have any choice. He had to fight Hunar alone in this large space inside the cave he had been investigating.

 _There's no time to look for Lily. If this thing gains enough power to evolve into Dark Falz Elder this planet is finished._

Ryu took his Weddle Park and prepared himself for battle. He had fought Hunar a number of times in the past, so he knew the general strategy for fighting it. But he was never alone in the previous encounters, so this time he was at a disadvantage.

The most important thing to do when fighting Hunar was to break its sword, which was very vulnerable to Light Element photon techs. However, Hunar was very agile so trying to cast such tech right away was the same as committing suicide. Therefore, Ryu observed it, trying to find the right moment.

Something was strange, though.

As a Dark Falz, Hunar always felt superior to any opposition it faced, so it always went into battle with arrogant attitude, refusing to use its sword until it has taken enough damage and began to take the fight seriously.

This Hunar however, had its sword drawn from the beginning. Not only that, it went into defensive battle stance. This has never happened before, but the stance seemed familiar somewhat.

Before Ryu could think further about it, Hunar charged at him and slashed with his giant sword.

 _Mirage Escape_

Ryu evaded the slash with his evasion move, disappearing and then reappearing behind Hunar. He immediately began charging his weapon to cast a tech.

Hunar seemed confused by Ryu's evasion, and this behavior seemed weird for Ryu because in all previous battles he remembered, Hunar never showed confusion like that. Still, that gave Ryu more than enough time to charge his tech. He waited until Hunar finally noticed his position and turned around.

 _Ragrants!_

A beam of light came out from Ryu's weapon straight to Hunar's sword. With this world's empowerment and assuming that the sword's durability remained the same, this single cast should break it and make the fight easier.

However, the beam didn't hit.

To be exact, the beam went through the sword without inflicting any damage. The beam then hit the wall up high, causing several rock debris as big as a human head to fall towards Hunar.

Another strange thing happened in front of Ryu's eyes.

Hunar noticed the falling debris and evaded with a dodge roll. There should be no need to do such thing because mere falling debris would not do any damage to it. It then immediately went back into defensive battle stance with its left arm in front acting as a shield.

And then suddenly Ryu noticed something.

Several tiny pebbles were still falling from the wall right above Hunar. They were ignored by it, but Ryu could see several of the stones going through Hunar's head and body as if it was not there.

 _Illusion? Don't tell me..._

And Ryu finally knew why Hunar's defensive stance seemed familiar.

The Hunar he was facing was actually Lily all along.

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 **[X][X][X]**

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Lily was bewildered.

Right in front of her eyes was the same foxman she had faced back then in the bandit fort. It should be impossible, because he should have been killed by Ryu's photon beast.

Moreover, this foxman had not said anything and just took a battle stance, but his stance had been different than before.

What confused Lily more was the fact that the foxman could do a short distance teleport to evade her attack, and then shot a beam of light to drop rocks from the ceiling at her. Thankfully she had managed to evade.

"So you are actually a magic caster, huh?!"

The foxman didn't say anything. Lily maintained her defensive stance, preparing to either attack or react depending on the foxman's next action.

The foxman sheathed his sword behind his back.

"Huh?"

He then seemed to charge magic power into his hand. Lily decided to prepare herself for evasion and counter attack if there was a chance.

The foxman then suddenly flew straight to Lily at incredible speed while being enveloped in an aura of lightning. It was so fast there was no time to evade.

But he stopped right in front of her and stood still. Lily felt something familiar the moment he had stopped.

 _Instant movement, lightning aura, and this minor stinging sensation...?_

And finally it dawned on her.

The foxman was Ryu.

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 **[X][X][X]**

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Khajiit Dale Badantel

That was the man whom this former Zuranon apprentice respected. He had been astonished by Khajiit's magic casting capabilities, and he had been looking forward to the fruition of the plan Khajiit had been preparing for years. Creating an undead city and becoming an Elder Lich, how grand that plan was! His dream was to continually serve Khajiit and eventually also achieving greater things in the future.

However, that dream had been crushed.

One day, he didn't allow this former apprentice to take part of his plan any further, saying that he would just become a burden.

The former apprentice pleaded to be part of the great plan, saying that he had been working hard to hone his skills and magic, and he wanted to see the execution of what would be his master's greatest achievement.

Only a short, nonchalantly spoken line, had come out from Khajiit's mouth back then.

"Your hard work is just a waste"

The sentence struck this man like a spear through the heart. He would never accept such words coming from the man he had been looking up to.

However, no matter how much he hated it, Khajiit was right.

No matter how much he had trained himself, he had been always the lowest of all apprentices. His skills still grew, but the growth speed was so far below average. Sometimes a new apprentice would be weaker than him, but that state never lasted long. Any new member had always surpassed him within weeks. There were even bets held on how long it would take for the new guy to surpass this man.

The apprentices Khajiit had decided to bring with him just sneered at this man, leaving him frozen in despair over his own lack of talent.

And so, the man had decided to cast Zuranon away and work on his own. This had happened one year before today.

He had fled from the cult, stealing anything he could steal from them. One of the few items he had managed to steal was an old spellbook. Its contents, which were illusion spells, had nothing to do with Zuranon's theme and objective, so it generally had been collecting dust in their vault. The cult had gotten the book within the cargo of a regular merchant they had killed in the past anyway, so it must not have been anything important.

The cult had never known that the book was actually [False Vision Grimoire], an ancient relic spellbook containing every single illusion-themed spells of tier one to eight. The grimoire itself was coated with an illusion spell, making it looked mundane in normal eyes. To the merchant, the book had looked like a regular empty book so he had used it to record his finances. When the book changed hands to the cult, it looked like a low tier illusion spellbook.

When this former apprentice stole the book, it still looked like a low tier illusion spellbook. However, unlike the cult, the former apprentice tried learning the spells in the book while in his hiding.

And that was when something strange happened.

Upon learning all the spells written in the book at first, new spells became visible. Then when he learned the new spells, even more spells appeared, and the new ones were more powerful than the previous.

Eventually, he had realized that his magic casting talent lied not on the necromancy spells Zuranon was obsessed about, but on illusion spells. The book continually provided him new spells to learn whenever he had finished mastering all spells visible in the book, and today he had learned illusion spells up to tier five. His dream had changed into learning every spell the book could offer.

As of now, he had been putting the latest spell he learned into test.

[Nemesis Chaos]

According to the book's description, the spell would read into the target's mind and change the appearance of all living beings near them into their nemesis. The spell also blocks all speech coming out from the targets, so this was a perfect spell to cast on a group to make them kill each other without being able to verbally communicate even if one or two of them figured the illusion out.

So far, the spell had been worked sucessfully. A group of hunters from a village killed each other, and the last man standing was so horrified by the result when the illusion wore off, thus he committed suicide. The same had happened to the six Silver Rank adventurers who had come later, though the last one standing did not commit suicide. In that case, this former apprentice just finished them off with conventional, non-illusion spells. Afterwards, he would use a magic spell he had learned during his Zuranon days to convert and absorb their flesh and blood into nourishment for himself, eliminating the need to eat for a while. Afterwards he would just bury the skeletal remains along with their equipments which were useless for him.

This cave had been a great random find for him. It lead into the bottom of a sinkhole which he could coat with his illusion spell so anyone inside would see a ceiling even though there was nothing there. Sunlight still could go through the illusion, so all they saw would be a strangely lit large space inside a cave. The sinkhole was perfect to set up as an arena for his targets to kill each other while he watched from the edge above.

The latest two adventurers who fell into his arena were different, though.

The warrior girl attacked the magic caster man at first, and the magic caster man retaliated with a beam spell this former apprentice had never seen before. However, the man sheathed his weapon and casted some kind of instant movement spell towards the girl, and now the girl put off her battle stance.

"It seems both figured it out"

The former apprentice knew his spells was not perfect. This kind of thing would happen time to time, and when it happened he would just leave the place and move on. It was a pity to lose this good place, but he had to move on to the next spell in the book anyway.

However...

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 **[X][X][X]**

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"Aaaaaaaaargh!"

 **THUD!**

Ryu heard the scream of a man followed by a loud noise of something that had fallen down. Right at that moment, the illusion of Hunar disappeared along with the cave's ceiling, revealing that they had been standing at the bottom of a sinkhole. As he had expected, Lily was the one standing in place of Hunar.

"Ryu-san!"

Lily looked very delighted, and she jump-hugged Ryu.

"H-Hey"

Ryu was startled by Lily's sudden action and he almost fell down on his back. He was happy to see Lily again, but a few seconds later he noticed that Lily started to shiver.

"Lily? What's going on?"

"I... I was happy to see you again. But... I just remembered that I almost hurt you. I'm really sorry-!"

Ryu could feel his chest getting a bit wet. Lily was crying on his chest.

"It's not your fault, Lily. I almost hurt you too. It was all the illusion's fault"

After saying that, Ryu started to shiver as well. He had casted a fully powered Ragrants at Lily, and it had missed simply thanks to the illusion of Hunar being four meters tall. If it had hit her for real...

Before Ryu could think further, Lily released her hug, revealing her wet and slightly red eyes. She then looked towards the source of the scream they had heard. A figure of a man lying faceplanted could be seen.

"Could that be the culprit, Ryu-san?"

"Maybe. Let's check it out. Be careful"

The two of them went towards the fallen man, and when they got close they noticed that the man's neck had been broken, probably because of the fall. He was already dead.

Ryu looked upwards. The distance between the ground and the edge up there was quite high. Any physically normal person without any kind of protection would probably not survive falling down from there.

"I'm guessing that he has been watching us from up there"

"And then he just fell down?"

"I guess we just got lucky. In any case, let's check his belongings"

Ryu and Lily then combed the dead man's belongings, which thankfully gave them time to calm themselves down. There was nothing other than a seemingly plain book. Ryu opened the book and found nothing there. All the sheets were empty.

"Only this empty book?"

"So what are we going to do, Ryu-san?"

"I actually don't know. Would this corpse become undead if we leave it like this?"

"I have no idea at all about that"

"Hmm... When Momon killed the culprit of the cemetery incident he just left their bodies there, but that was inside E-Rantel... Come to think of it, those goblins and ogres... how did the guild know the amount I killed?"

"Mat-san cut their left ears to bring home as proof. I was there standing guard when he did that"

"I see... but this is a human. Despite what he has done, desecrating his body doesn't feel right for me. I guess we will just leave it like this"

"Anything you say, Ryu-san"

"I don't think this book will mean anything, but I will bring this with us. By the way, Lily"

"Yes, Ryu-san?"

"What did you see me as?"

"The foxman who captured me back then"

"Oh..."

"What about you, Ryu-san? I bet it is something large because you kept looking upwards even though I was right in front of you"

"Yeah... a four meter tall Da... humanoid monster"

"You have fought something like that?"

"Yeah. I'm glad it is not here for real, and I hope it stays that way"

In his mind, Ryu was highly worried that someday a real Dark Falz would arrive at this planet. While it would allow him to go home because ARKS Fleet would surely pursue the Dark Falz, putting another planet in grave danger, especially one with civilization like this, would never be the price he was willing to pay.

Both Ryu and Lily went back to Padstow Village. It had taken them quite a while because the hole they had come from was too slippery to climb, and while they could climb the wall of the sinkhole, finding the way back was difficult. By the time they arrived the sun was almost at the horizon. Any later than this they would have had no choice but to camp out. They immediately went for the chief's house and Ryu knocked on the door. Like before, it took less than ten seconds for someone to come out, and once again it was the old man.

"Oh, you're back! Come in!"

The old man let Ryu and Lily to come into his house and have a seat. He went away for a little while and came back bringing three glasses of water. He put them on the table nearby, and then he sat on a nearby chair. To give some lighting, he lit a candle.

"So, what did you find?"

"A sinister magic caster has been casting some kind of illusion spell, making the victims see each other as enemies"

"Oh.. so the hunters and previous adventurers are..."

"I'm sorry..."

There was a silence. The old man's face gradually became sad.

"You know... one of those adventurers... is my son"

Ryu and Lily were surprised, but they didn't say anything.

"I always told him that adventurer is a dangerous job, and being a farmer here would be just fine. We would be poor, but still able to make a living together. He just wouldn't listen, and he went to become one anyway. From time to time he went back here, giving me some money he earned. My living indeed became better than in the past, but what use is it if I rarely see him? My wife is already gone long ago, and now my son too. I no longer have anyone..."

"I-I'm sorry that I don't have anything to say"

"You don't need to..."

"Oh, what about Garret? He told me you are related"

"He is from my wife's lineage. We're not blood related"

"But still family regardless, right?"

"What are you actually trying to achieve by saying that? I can't ask him to live here just to accompany an old man, and I cannot go with him as merchant either. I can barely read and write, I will be just a burden. Look, I thank you for clearing this missing person problem, but it is wiser to not meddle further into this old man's life"

"Then why telling me all that about your family?"

"It was just a selfish request from this old man to be listened to. I simply want someone to listen to me while I let everything out"

Ryu felt a bit upset, but he couldn't put any blame on the old man.

"I can tell that you're unhappy with it. Just go away then"

"Are you trying to guilt-trip me? Fine, we will take our leave"

Ryu drank all the water in his glass and stood up. Lily followed without saying anything. Right at the door, Ryu opened it and was about to walk away when the old man spoke again.

"Young man, tell me. Do you think my son left this world without regrets?"

Ryu paused for a moment.

"His last battle was against his own comrades. I'm afraid that was not the case if he found that out"

"I see..."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing..."

"Farewell then"

Ryu and Lily went out without looking back. However, he could hear a faint 'thank you' from the door before it closed.

The two of them went to Garret's lodging. When they arrived, Garret was still outside wrapping up his shop. He noticed them coming and looked delighted.

"Ah, you're back! Was that a success?"

"Yes, the culprit is dead"

"Wonderful! Tell me about it once we're inside!"

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 **[X][X][X]**

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Ainz sat down on the bed of the inn he was staying at. He was not wearing the armor of his Momon persona because the full set had been sent away for repairs to make his latest achievement more believable. He had coated his body with illusion spell to appear as a normal human. Still, he chose to not leave this room because someone out there might have the skill to see through the illusion.

Narberal, or Nabe as of now, was standing by near him, awaiting command. Ainz looked at the window of the room. The sky outside was already beginning to become completely dark.

"Hmm..."

Ainz raised his left hand to his left ear, or at least where his left ear was supposed to be, and casted a spell.

[Message]

"Aura"

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

"How did it go?"

"I sensed the presence of the culprit and ambushed him. I just gave him a little push and down he go into the deep hole behind him! And he died!"

"Did anyone see you?"

"Not at all! I'm sure of it!"

"Alright, now go back to the site. Don't let your guard down"

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

"Thank you for the hard work"

The Message spell ended. Ainz leaned on the wall with a sigh, wondering why those two seemed to be constantly in trouble. Just today the Kashin Koji spy had sent him a Message telling that they had been caught in some kind of illusion spell and then fought each other. In response, he had sent Aura to aid them secretly, but this meant that the project Aura was working on probably got delayed a bit. Also, thanks to this event the amount of Message the spy could send was down one, leaving four remaining.

 _Another debt I can't openly collect from him..._

Ainz could only hope that this kind of thing would not happen so often, but probably it indeed was merely a hope.


	18. Chapter 15: Short Day Off for Lily

**Hi, author here!**

 **This is the first of a two-parter chapter intended to tie up loose ends, and after that I will move on to the Lizardman Arc.**

 **No cliffhanger, so don't worry. ;)**

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 **[X][X][X]**

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"Finally back in E-Rantel"

Ryu said that when the large front gate of the fortress city became visible through the viewing gap of the wagon he was riding. This was not Garret's wagon because Garret's next destination was E-Pespel, a city further west. Therefore, after spending the night at Garret's lodging, Ryu and Lily immediately began their journey back to E-Rantel on foot. They had gotten lucky to chance upon a wagon heading to E-Rantel, and the driver agreed to let them in for a small price of ten coppers.

 _Garret said that E-Pespel is about halfway towards Re-Estize Capital. I wonder if Peter and the others are already in the capital now._

"Where would you like me to drop you off?"

The driver asked as the wagon approached the back end of the queue of wagons and carriages entering the city.

"We will go on foot from here. Here's your payment and thanks for the generosity"

Ryu gave the driver a silver coin.

"Keep the change"

"Thank you very much"

The two of them dropped off from the wagon and began walking towards the gate. The sun was high in the sky, telling them that it was about lunch time. They ate their previously bought rations for lunch while walking towards the gate. Later, no problem happened during entry because the guards on duty saw their Platinum Rank plates and let them walk in immediately.

Due to the way the city was laid out, it still took them a while until they finally reached the Adventurer's Guild building. When they entered, the atmosphere was nothing special. Every adventurers were minding their own business.

Ryu went to the receptionist to turn his quest in.

"I'm back from the cave investigation quest"

"Alright, please tell me about your findings there"

The lady prepared a quill and paper to record Ryu's report.

"There was a sinister magic caster who casted an illusion spell, making people see each other as enemies. We found the missing people but unfortunately all of them are already dead"

The lady wrote it down quickly as Ryu spoke.

"Did you find the bodies of the missing people?"

"Yes. They were buried in a dead end of the cave"

"What is the status of the magic caster?"

"He is dead. Also, we found this book inside his robe. It is strangely empty, but it might have something hidden since it is the only thing he had"

Ryu presented the empty book to the lady.

"Was the magic caster alone?"

"The illusion casted on us broke when he died, and nothing happened afterwards. It is likely that he was alone"

"Anything else to add?"

Ryu then explained the details about the cave, such as the way to reach it, the fork inside, and the large sinkhole at the end. Also, he explained the location of the buried bodies and the dead body of the magic caster.

"Understood. We will follow up on this matter as soon as possible. Once the investigation is complete we will reward you appropriately. Please check back in three days"

"What about the empty book?"

"We would like to bring it to Magician's Guild for identification, but you can keep it with you if you like"

"Take it. I don't think I will need it"

Ryu gave the empty book to the lady, and with that the procedure was concluded. As usual, Ryu sat down on a nearby vacant seat and Lily sat down next to him.

"What are we gonna do next, Ryu-san?"

"Give me a min..."

Ryu pondered about his next steps. He was quite tired so he thought that taking days off from adventuring might not be a bad idea. He had recently counted his coins, and the result was 4 gold, 20 silver, and 15 copper coins. Enough to live for months without lifting a finger.

"I'm thinking of taking some days off again"

"Anything you say, Ryu-san"

Ryu thought about Lily again. She always agreed to anything he said, which was understandable because in all technicality she was, to put it frankly, Ryu's slave. At least that was his guess from the information he had gathered from their dialogue back then. She seemed to still have a certain degree of free will, but in the end she still had to obey Ryu no matter what.

"Let's go back to the inn"

The two of them then walked to Silver Star Inn and immediately went to their room once they arrived. After closing the door, Ryu instantly changed his clothes into his white T-shirt and black knee length shorts sleepwear and dived onto his bed. Lily just sat down on her bed quietly.

"Lily, are you tired?"

"Not at all, Ryu-san!"

"Is that an honest answer?"

"Of course, Ryu-san!"

"Then I have a task for you"

"I will do anything for you! Tell me the task!"

"Go out, take a walk around the city, and have fun for yourself"

"W-What?"

"I'm taking my days off, so you should too"

"But I-"

"Lily, didn't I make myself clear already?"

"Y-Yes!"

Ryu took his coin pouch from his photon inventory, making it look like he conjured it from thin air with a flicker of light. He took ten silver coins from the pouch and gave them to Lily.

"Use them as you like, either to buy food or souvenirs, or whatever else"

"Ryu-san..."

"Enjoy your day off, Lily. I expect you to return before dark"

After saying that, Ryu turned his body away and put on a blanket over his body.

"Thank you, Ryu-san!"

Even though he couldn't see it, he could guess from the voice that Lily was happy. After he heard the door closed when Lily left the room, Ryu slowly got up from his bed and went to the window overlooking the street in front. Soon enough, he noticed Lily coming out from the inn's front door and walking away to the right. He then went back to his bed and sat down on it.

 _I hope she will have her fun being free for herself for once._

However, a weird feeling started creeping up in Ryu's mind.

 _The last time I left her alone, she got kidnapped..._

 _But this is E-Rantel, not a bandit fort. So it should be safe, right?_

 _Then again, someone like those two could kidnap Nfirea and cause such commotion within the city..._

 _But it is not night right now, so nothing bad will happen, right?_

 _Right...?_

 _...Sigh..._

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 **[X][X][X]**

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Lily felt strange.

Her master had just given her a day off to walk around the city freely for today. He even had given her an amount of money to spend as she liked. All these were strange for her, because she believed that she existed to server her master, and she would do just that without complaint even if her master treated her like garbage. Her greatest joy was to be useful to her master in any way possible.

And now she was conflicted.

She felt happy, but she had no idea why. Was it because she had been given a day off for herself? Or because she had taken Ryu's last words as a command? No matter how hard she thought about it, she could not find any answer.

 _Anyway, Ryu-sama has given me free time and I should make use of it!_

Having herself determined, Lily went towards the market district of the city. On her way, she somewhat noticed that a number of people glanced at her as she walked past them. She had never paid attention to this before because her attention had always been towards Ryu, but now she was alone and those glances were pretty jarring.

Lily felt nervous with all the glances. It didn't happen that often, but still often enough to annoy her mind. Was something stuck on her face? Was it because of her Platinum Rank plate? Maybe her armor was unusual, or her outfit as a whole? Come to think of it, other than the sinister girl from that night, she had never seen any other girl who had the skin of her legs exposed.

 _Even if that was the case, this is the gift from my creator! I won't change it with anything else!_

Lily tried to ignore them all and kept walking towards the market district. It was the place where merchants of many kinds open up shop to many kinds of potential customers. Common citizens, adventurers, the merchants themselves, and sometimes servants of local nobles crowded the place everyday, and today was no exception.

Lily walked around, sometimes taking a look at the shop stalls. None of them drew her attention so far, but soon she noticed a rather large crowd ahead. Being curious, she approached the crowd. However, she couldn't see anything because she was short compared to other people.

"Ooooh!"

The crowd suddenly cheered, and then they applauded. Soon, the people dispersed a bit, making way for someone to walk past. Lily noticed that the ones walking through were two Silver Rank adventurers. One of them was pretty beaten up and the other held him to prevent him from collapsing.

"Nice try!"

"Better luck next time!"

The crowd cheered the two guys up as they left. Knowing nothing about what was happening, Lily encouraged herself to ask the man next to her.

"Hi, what's happening there? I couldn't see anything"

"This is not something a little girl should watch. You better go away"

"Excuse me!? I'm an adventurer!"

The man seemed not to buy it at first, but then he noticed Lily's adventurer plate.

"Platinum?"

The man then shouted towards whatever was surrounded by the crowd.

"Hey! We might have a challenger here!"

"What?"

Lily was bewildered as the crowd once again dispersed to make way. This time, she could see that behind the crowd there was a set of short stakes on the ground, and they were connected with a rope, making it looked like a small makeshift arena. Inside the arena there was a man equipped with light armor and rather heavy looking gauntlet. The man was about as tall as Ryu, but more muscular. Lily noticed a Platinum Rank plate on his armor.

"Oh, a fellow Platinum! Welcome! Do you want to take on the challenge?"

"I just came here! I don't know anything about this!"

"This is only a simple one on one fight challenge! Wanna try?"

The crowd cheered Lily to take on the challenge. At this point Lily understood that the man was opening up a kind of street performance in the form of open challenge, but she still couldn't decide whether she should try or not. Normally she would ask Ryu, but now she was alone so she had to decide for herself.

Lily then nodded and walked to the makeshift ring. The crowd cheered even louder.

Once Lily entered the ring, the man took his gauntlets off and tossed them to the side. Another man, seeming to be his companion, caught the gauntlets mid air and put them in an open crate. This other man was more normal looking than the muscular man and also slightly shorter, but he also had a Platinum Rank plate.

"The rule is simple. Hand to hand, no weapons and magic. Martial Arts still allowed. Armor still allowed. You lose if you get knocked out or you give up"

The other man approached Lily carrying a small bowl

"Please place your bet here. If you win you will get back ten times the amount. If you lose the money is lost"

Lily took five silver coins from her small pouch and put them into the bowl.

"Five silver coins. Are you sure?"

Lily just nodded.

The large man then spoke to Lily.

"Listen. I consider you a full-fledged Platinum Rank adventurer, so I won't hesitate hitting you even if you are a girl"

"I'm glad to hear that!"

Both Lily and the muscular man readied themselves with their battle stance. Lily had never fought without her swords before, so her stance was made up on the fly. The smaller man stood between them, probably going to act as a referee.

"The time limit is three minutes. Ready, set... Fight!"

As soon as the referee gave the signal, the man charged forward quickly and threw a straight punch at Lily. She evaded by moving to the right and using the shield attached to her left gauntlet to parry the punch. She immediately threw a straight punch with her right hand to the man's stomach, but the man parried with his left arm. She then immediately spinned her body around using the force of the man's parry and did a sweeping kick to the man's legs.

It was a hit. The man lost his balance and fell down on his back. But he immediately did a handspring to stand up back on his feet. The crowd cheered loudly, and the man's face showed excitement.

"That was the first time someone could make me fall down. You are good!"

Lily just smiled. This man was pretty good but still nowhere as fast as that sinister girl back then, or even the foxman. Even without her swords she should be able to win easily.

The man then tightened his battle stance, and he was enveloped by red aura.

 _Is that what they call Martial Art?_

[Ability Boost]

The man immediately charged forward at greater speed than before, but still not fast enough to catch Lily off guard. He threw a continuous flurry of punches, but none of them managed to score a hit on Lily because they all were either dodged or parried. Soon enough, Lily found an opening and gave the man a straight punch to the stomach.

[Fortress]

However, the hit was blocked by some kind of invisible energy, and the man didn't even flinch. Lily was surprised, and the man made use of it.

[Smash]

A fist covered in red aura flew straight to Lily's chest and scored a clean hit. Lily was thrown back almost to the edge of the arena, but she landed on her feet. She didn't seem hurt at all. There was not even a dent on her armor. The crowd cheered for the man.

Lily was about to jump back into the fight, but the man put off his stance.

"I lost"

"What?"

The crowd was surprised, including the referee himself and also Lily. They obviously wanted to know why the man declared himself lost just after scoring a big hit.

"Girl, I'm guessing that you have never seen Martial Arts before, have you?"

Lily actually had seen it used several times by Mat's party back then, though she hadn't known that they were Martial Arts.

"Uhh, yeah I guess"

"You dodged and parried all my best punches without breaking a sweat. That one and only hit was thanks to my Fortress making you drop your guard. It was the strongest punch I could unleash, but you didn't even seem to feel it. At that moment I knew that I would lose anyway if the fight went on"

The man approached Lily and gave her a pat on the shoulders. He then raised Lily's right arm, and the crowd cheered loudly with applause.

"Unfortunately I don't have 50 silver coins, so take this"

The man flipped a gold coin to Lily. She caught it and got a little surprised. A single gold coin had the same value of 100 silver coins, so it was twice the amount she should have received.

"I-I can't take this much of your money!"

"Just take it. By the way, how does joining my team sounds to you? I can teach you Martial Arts"

"I have to refuse. I already have a mas- partner"

"Is your partner the leader? Maybe we can discuss about merging our team?"

"It-It's not for me to decide! Sorry!"

Lily ran off from the place as soon as she said that. While the man seemed to be decent, something felt off with his invitation. Therefore she decided to leave them immediately.

There was still a lot of time before dark, so Lily decided to walk around some more. She bought some meat skewers to snack on, and also watched some other street performances she noticed. All in all, she had quite a lot of fun in her free time.

Later, she noticed that the sun was already pretty low at the west, so she decided to walk back to the inn. But suddenly, she heard a shout from behind.

"Help! Please help!"

She looked behind and she saw a young man, seemingly a common citizen, ran out from an alley. There was no other people around, so the man immediately noticed Lily.

"There's a wounded man over there! Please help!"

Hearing that, Lily was conflicted again. She was expected by Ryu to return before dark, but if she helped this person she might be late. But this person seemed desperate and there was nobody else.

 _What should I do?_

"Please! Would you help!?"

Lily was still conflicted, but then a question appearing in her mind helped her to decide.

 _Will Ryu-sama be happy to hear that I have ignored a person's call for help?_

 _No_.

Lily immediately went to the man.

"Where is he?"

"Over there! Follow me!"

Lily followed the young man into the small alley. Thanks to the buildings around, the alley was quite dark, and the fact that there was no other people made this alley a very good hunting ground for street muggers. The wounded man might be a victim of such case.

Suddenly, Lily felt a sharp pain over her right leg.

"Ouch!"

She dropped to her left knee and looked at her right leg. There was a blowdart planted into her thigh. She immediately pulled it off, but soon she felt dizzy.

 _Dammit! As expected, the dart was laced with poison!_

The dart had come from a smaller alley branching from this alley. Lily had stopped herself several meters ahead from the branch, so if the shooter wanted to shoot her again they must come out from the alley.

"There are attackers! Run away!"

Lily shouted to warn the young man she had been following, but he just stood still, and his face didn't show any worry. Lily then realized that she had been trapped. The young man was one of the attackers all along.

"She's still awake? The poison should have knocked her out cold by now"

Lily heard a voice coming out from the alley.

"The dart didn't go in deep enough. It seems that your skill has dulled"

A different voice came out from above. Lily looked up and saw someone crouching on the roof of a nearby single story building.

"Either that, or she has stab damage reduction enchantment on her"

The attackers came out one by one from their hiding. In total, including the man who had been acting, there were five men. All of them were holding a dagger, except one who was holding a small pipe instead. He probably was the shooter.

"Shoot her again, then. After that we can loot the belongings, and then have fun with her"

The shooter man put another dart into his pipe and put one end of the pipe into his mouth. He then aimed at Lily's leg, and blew the dart. Everyone expected the dart to stab and poison her further so they would be able to have their way with her.

But that didn't happen.

Lily quickly moved her leg a bit, causing the dart to strike her greaves instead of her exposed thigh, and therefore it was deflected. She then quickly jumped to the nearest man and gave him a straight punch to the stomach. He got knocked out cold from the strike.

Without giving the next nearest man time to react, Lily moved to him and gave an upward kick between his legs, striking his family jewels hard with her right greaves. The man also got knocked out cold from that one strike.

The remaining three men were surprised, and they made some distance from Lily.

"H-How did you do that while poisoned?"

Lily herself actually had no idea. All she felt was that the poison effect had been dissipating gradually, and the same applied to the wound left by the dart. Right now she no longer felt any bad effect from the poison, and the wound on her thigh had completely healed as if it had never been there, though some bloodstain still remained.

 _If that was the effect of the enchantment from Ainz-dono, I will have to thank him later._

With great speed, Lily once again charged at the nearest man and punched him straight at the stomach. She then quickly moved to the remaining men and gave them the same treatment. She had done that so quickly they all fell down faceplanted at the same time.

Without paying any more heed to the men, Lily walked out from the alley, intending to go back to the inn. She just happened to see a group of guards right outside the alley, so she called them.

"I just knocked out five muggers there. They tried to rob me so I retaliated"

The guards then moved in to arrest the five muggers. One of them thanked Lily for the service, and then Lily just walked away because it was about to get dark and she had to go home.

Lily arrived at the inn just as the sky was becoming completely dark. She immediately went into their room, and when she entered Ryu was there still lying on his bed.

"I'm home!"

"Welcome back, Lily. Did you have fun?"

"Yes! Thank you!"

Lily noticed something strange, though. Ryu was already back in his battle outfit, and he seemed to be running out of breath.

"Ryu-san, are you alright?"

"Yes, why you ask?"

"You're running out of breath"

"Oh, I also took a walk around by myself"

"Hmm... Anyway, here's the money you gave me"

Lily gave Ryu all the money she had, which was 1 gold, 2 silvers, and 5 coppers.

"You can keep them with you"

"Really?"

"Yeah, you earned it anyway"

"Thank you, Ryu-sa... wait a minute! Why didn't you ask about the gold coin?"

Ryu's face showed that he was dumbfounded. He didn't say anything.

"Also, how did you know that I earned it?"

Ryu seemed to panic and didn't know what to say.

"And why the guards back then seemed to already know that something was happening in the alley?"

Ryu was still speechless.

"You have been following me, haven't you?"

"Alright, you got me"

Lily was silent for a bit, and then she laughed.

"You doting daddy!"

"Hey, I'm not your father"

"But you just acted like one!"

Lily kept laughing. Deep inside she was happy that she had a master who really cared about her. She was now fully determined to loyally serve him until the end of her life.


	19. Chapter 16: Climbing Up The Ranks

**Hi! Author here again.**

 **Here's the last chapter before proceeding to Lizardman Heroes arc.**

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 **[X][X][X]**

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Three days had passed from the day Lily had her day off by herself.

These three days had been spent on simply doing leisure walks around town together without any definite direction. Both Ryu and Lily also tried to learn about the layout of E-Rantel, so if someday they need to go to a specific place they would not either take too long or get lost.

Ryu remembered that this was the day he was supposed to check back at Adventurer's Guild about the results of his last job. Therefore, after having breakfast the two of them went to the guild building.

When they arrived, they walked towards the receptionist lady, however...

"Hey, girl! Finally I found you!"

Ryu looked at the source of the voice, and he saw the same man who fought Lily at the street arena back then. The man seemed excited as he approached. Behind him there were two more men and one woman. From their attires Ryu could guess that the two men were ranger and druid, and the woman was a magic caster. If the approaching man was a warrior, this team pretty much had the same setup as Swords of Darkness, but older in appearance, better equipped, and already in Platinum Rank.

"Let me introduce myself! I'm Shaun. The ones behind me are Percy, Jack, and Lisa! We are Armed And Dangerous Team!"

"Yeah, nice to meet you. I'm Ryu and this is Lily. How can I help you?"

Ryu felt weird about the man's cheerful attitude and his naming sense.

"You see, three days ago I opened a hand to hand combat street challenge, and I got utterly defeated by your partner! I would like to know how she got that strong without Martial Arts!"

Of course Ryu couldn't answer that because he didn't know anything. But now he was confused on how he should answer that. Ryu somehow felt that telling Shaun that Lily's armor was enchanted was not a good idea. However...

"I can sense magical energy from her armor. All of them are enchanted"

Lisa found that out and spoke. Ryu had no choice but to play along.

"Your friend got the answer for you"

"I see! I already could guess back then when my best punch didn't even put a dent, but now my guess is confirmed!"

Both Ryu and Lily couldn't help feeling uneasy.

"So, what do you need from us?"

"How does merging our team sound for you? In exchange I can teach your partner Martial Arts to make her even stronger!"

Ryu didn't take long to give an answer.

"Sorry, but we can't work with anyone else"

"What? Why is that?"

"It's more like, circumstances won't allow us"

It was not a lie. With Ryu's current situation with Ainz, it was best to avoid working with any other people for the time being. However, even if that was not the case Ryu would not want to work with these people because they already had given him a rather bad first impression.

"What circumstances?"

"We're not allowed to tell anyone anything further. I'm sorry about that"

While not fully certain about it, Ryu imagined that Ainz would kill anyone who found out about their relations. The slightly better case would be a memory wipe, but if possible Ryu would prefer to avoid giving Ainz more trouble.

"Really? Oh well. Anyway, we will be leaving for a job. I hope someday we will meet again! We're always open if you change your mind!"

 _I won't._

The team left the guild building, and Ryu felt a great relief. Lily probably felt the same.

"I can't help feeling uncomfortable with them"

"Sorry, Ryu-san. It was because of me that they got to know us"

"It's not your fault, Lily. Let's just go check our last job"

The two of them approached the receptionist lady.

"Welcome, Ryu-san and Lily-san. I believe you are here to check about your last job, right? Please follow my colleague here"

Ryu and Lily followed the colleague upstairs. They soon arrived at the front of a door which seemed to be a little more fancy than the others. The colleague knocked on it, and a voice from inside replied.

"Come in"

The colleague opened the door and entered. Ryu and Lily followed, and they immediately found out that the room was Pluton Ainzach's office. The man himself was sitting on his chair behind the desk, and he seemed happy to see the arriving guests. There was another man standing next to him, and Ryu could not recognize him.

"You may return to your post"

Ainzach said that to the colleague, and she left the room after bowing down once.

"Welcome, Ryu-san and Lily-san! It's a great pleasure to see you back safe and sound!"

"Thank you, Ainzach-dono"

"You can just call me with name. Also, let me introduce you to Theo Rakheshir. The guildmaster of Magician's Guild"

"Pleased to meet you, Rakheshir-dono"

"The pleasure is all mine"

Both Ryu and Lily shook hands with Rakheshir.

"Please take a seat"

Ryu and Lily complied Ainzach's offer and sat down on the available seats facing his desk. Rakheshir also sat down on a chair next to Ainzach's.

"Now let me tell you about the result of your cave investigation quest"

Ainzach took a sheet of paper from a stack near him.

"According to this report, the evidence found by the investigation team supports your report about a sinister magic caster causing the disappearance and ultimately death of the people"

"I still have no idea why the bodies already lost all flesh within such a short time"

"It is highly likely that the magic caster is affiliated to Zuranon, the same cult that caused the recent graveyard incident"

Rakheshir then added info to Ainzach's words.

"There exists a magic spell that absorbs the flesh and blood of dead bodies to provide nourishment for the caster. He likely used that on the dead people"

Hearing that, Lily expressed her disgust.

"I feel sick imagining that..."

"With the death of the magic caster, Zuranon is down one dangerous member. His remains has been burned and the bodies of the missing people has been counted and properly buried. Thanks to you they all now have a closure"

"So we did the quest well?"

"You did more than just well!"

Rakheshir suddenly stood up and spoke with excitement. He then realized it and went back to his calm self after clearing his throat.

"Sorry about that. Let me speak about the book you found"

"That empty book?"

"It is not an empty book! The book itself is coated with powerful illusion magic, so strong that it can't be dispelled even with the best efforts of the guild. The interesting thing is that the illusion seems to partially disappear differently from person to person, so we could conclude from the contents visible so far that it is an illusion-themed spellbook. We still need time for appraising this book, but it is highly likely to be an ancient artifact containing powerful spells!"

Ryu and Lily listened to Rakheshir's excited speech. Ainzach then spoke once Rakheshir was finished with his speech.

"As for the reward, you will be rewarded 150 gold coins and a direct promotion to Mithril. Also, you now can make your team name officially documented by the guild"

Both Ryu and Lily had their mouth agape hearing what Ainzach had just said.

"I guess you need a moment to let that sink in?"

"Yes... definitely... I mean, it's much more than stated"

"It is mostly for the spellbook you gave to Magician's Guild. We will add more if it turns out to be much more powerful than we estimated"

"Okay..."

Ryu's mind once again could not compute. He feared that this reward would make him lose his sense of money value.

"By the way, what was the last part about? I mean, about team name"

"With an official team name, your name will spread throughout all Adventurer's Guild in the Kingdom. The best example are the Adamantite Rank team Blue Rose and Red Drop. Oh, by the way, a new Adamantite Rank team has just been born. The team's name is Darkness"

"Am I correct to guess that they are Momon and Nabe?"

"You are correct. We also have investigated the battlefield where they fought the vampire Honyopenyoko. I did not see it myself, but reports said that all that was left was a field of sand several hundred meters wide"

 _Honyopenyoko? What kind of name is that?_

Rakheshir suddenly spoke out.

"It must be the result of the eighth-tier spell contained within that sealing crystal! Oooh, I would pay anything to see it with my own eyes! Can you imagine!? A mythical tier eight spell!"

Rakheshir's excitement pretty much shattered the image of an elegant, knowledgeable man Rakheshir had in Ryu's mind.

"Theo, I highly recommend you to not show unsightly scene in front of more adventurers"

"Ah, yes. I apologize. I just couldn't help myself"

"In any case, all the related paperwork is done and the new plate for each of you is already prepared right here. Congratulations"

Ainzach immediately presented two Mithril Rank plates to Ryu and Lily. He also presented a quite large bag containing the gold coins he had mentioned.

"Thank you for the recognition. We will try our best to live up to this rank"

Ryu said that after both he and Lily took the plates.

"You already did far more than enough for Mithril. I seriously wanted to promote you both to Orichalcum, but I believe you know why I couldn't. At least not yet"

Ryu just simply nodded. He already knew very well about that matter.

"In fact, I could promote you to Mithril right now because this city has recently lost one Mithril team so we need a capable replacement as soon as possible to fill the hole they left"

"I see"

"If you want to register your team's name you can talk to the lady below. Anything else you'd like to ask?"

"As of now, I think no"

"Oh, one more thing. This is just a personal request, but could you temporarily avoid taking any jobs that require going away for multiple days?"

"There's no problem, but I'd like to know why"

"I might need you for a job soon, so I would like to make sure you will be available once I do"

"Sure, we're planning to rest and relax for a while anyway"

"Thank you. I will contact you when I have new news about it. Are you going to stay at the same inn? Silver Star, isn't it?"

"Yes. There's no plan to move anytime soon"

"See you later then"

Ryu and Lily once again shook hands with Ainzach and Rakheshir, and then they left the room. In the corridor, after making sure that there were nobody else other than Lily, Ryu transferred the coin bag into his photon inventory, making it disappear with a flicker of light.

Ryu still had not come up with a name for his team, so he decided to put it on hold for a while. The two of them left the guild building with a strange feeling in their mind.

"Ryu-san. Did we just get rich in an instant?"

"I don't know, Lily. My sense of money is confused"

"What are we gonna do then?"

"Let's just continue with our day off"

With that decision settled, the two of them continued their day off. The amount of money they had was already much more than enough to live decently for years without lifting a finger, and there's no telling when Ainz or Ainzach would call them back, so Ryu made sure that they would be available immediately when that happens.

And thus a number of days passed.

Both Ryu and Lily were pretty bored doing nothing other than walking around the city everyday to pass time. Doing the same thing everyday had made Ryu lost count on how many days had passed from the day he and Lily had been promoted to Mithril.

However, on this day something different happened.

While Ryu and Lily were having breakfast, a letter was delivered to them. Ryu opened the letter and read the message.

 _Ryu and Lily, I will be expecting you to come to my office before noon today. Pluton Ainzach._

"Finally something different to do"

"What is it, Ryu-san?"

"Guildmaster Ainzach called us"

After finishing with their breakfast, the two of them immediately went to the guild building, and when they arrived they immediately went to Ainzach's office. Ryu knocked on the door, and a voice replied from inside.

"Come in"

Ryu opened the door, and inside the room Ainzach was sitting on his chair like before. He looked delighted seeing Ryu and Lily.

"Ah, Ryu-san and Lily-san! Glad to see you again!"

"How are you, Ainzach-dono? It's good to see you again"

"I'm as fine as ever!"

Ryu and Lily shook hands with Ainzach.

"So, what is the matter at hand?"

"I will be quick to the point. Three days ago I made a personal request to Momon to retrieve a rare herb. This job is dangerous. In the past it took three teams; one Adamantite and two Mithril to complete the job. Therefore I would like you to accompany Darkness team on this job"

"I don't mind, but why calling us after three days have passed already?"

"The situation is a bit awry. If I assemble reinforcements Momon might get offended, taking it as me doubting his strength. It also means I have to spend more money to reward the aiding party. I also had other works, so it took me this long to decide that risking offending Momon and spending more money is better than the risk of Momon getting killed"

"I guess that makes sense"

"I told him the potential danger of the job, so I'm pretty sure he is still around taking some time for preparation"

 **KNOCK KNOCK!**

Just as Ainzach finished his words, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

The door opened, and the one who appeared behind it was Momon himself.

"Ah, Momon-kun! Have you finally made up your mind about taking other teams for backup?"

"Ah, no. That is-"

"To tell you the truth, I have handpicked several teams for you. This is not because we think this is too hard for you, but so that they can provide support immediately when needed"

"I'm guessing these two are among them"

"Indeed, Momon-kun! They are Mithril Rank, but I assure you that their capabilities are comparable to Orichalcum! You don't have to worry about your reward. Their reward will be paid by the guild!"

"Ah, please hold on a second, Guildmaster"

"What is it, Momon-kun?"

"I already got the herb you requested"

Momon nonchalantly dropped a small pouch on Ainzach's desk. Ainzach stood still with his mouth agape. Lily also looked surprised, but Ryu was not surprised at all.

"Please confirm the item"

"Nonononononono, it's only been three days! Take one day for harvesting, and you're telling me the round trip only took two days!? Even a one way trip in a straight line would normally take three days!"

"Well, I was in a hurry"

"Uhh... Okay... Let's just leave it at that..."

"Ryu-san, Lily-san. I apologize for making your time obsolete"

Momon bowed a bit to Ryu and Lily.

"It's all right, Momon-san"

"I will return to Nabe. There's no problem if you pay the reward later, Guildmaster"

"T-Thank you for your hard work..."

"Then, excuse me"

Momon then left the room, leaving Ainzach speechless. A few seconds later, he screamed.

" **This is really weeeeeird~~!"**

"Uhh, Ainzach-dono? Are you all right?"

Ainzach was startled a bit, then he cleared his throat looking a little embarrassed.

"Sorry, I just had to let that out"

"If there's nothing more, we will take our leave"

"Yes. Thank you for your time, and I deeply apologize that it ended up being obsolete"

"Don't worry about it, Ainzach-dono"

"Ah, by the way. Momon knew your names already. Do you know each other?"

"We first met back then when both his team and mine were still Copper. We ran into each other a few times afterwards"

"I see"

"Then, please excuse us"

Ryu and Lily went to the door, and they were about to open it when someone else entered without knocking. It was a man, seemed to be one of the guards. His face looked worried and full of sweat, and he rushed to approach Ainzach.

Ryu and Lily stayed put, having a hunch that the man was bringing bad news. Ainzach and the man talked in a pretty low voice so Ryu didn't know the topic, but soon Ainzach looked at Ryu.

"Ryu-san, Lily-san. I have an urgent job for you"

The two of them went back to Ainzach to listen what the job would be about.

"This man is one of the city scouts watching over Katze Plains"

Ryu had heard about Katze Plains. It was a large barren field located at the southeast of E-Rantel. A thick fog continuously enveloped the plain, and the land constantly spawned undead beings. Detection magic was rendered useless there because the fog was not a regular fog. It registered as a lifeform, disturbing the effect of such magic.

"A horde of undead has been spotted gathering near the fog edge and are showing signs of going to head to the city. This is something that actually happens, although rarely, from time to time, and whenever it happens we send adventurers to combat them"

"So you're going to assign us, Ainzach-dono?"

"Yes, since currently you are available right in front of me, and you are one of the most capable adventurers here"

"Alright, we will be going immediately"

"We will recruit more adventurers to back you up. Just hold the line in the meantime and be careful"

Ryu and Lily left the guild building immediately, and with the help of the scout they got a horse ride to E-Rantel's gate. From then on, they rode a carriage driven by one of the guards assigned to transport adventurers to Katze Plains whenever this kind of event happened.

Soon, they arrived at a spot where the edge of the fog was visible but still far enough to be safe from threats. Just as the scout had said, Ryu could spot a large number of undead beings at a distance. They still haven't advanced yet, but the guards stationed here looked afraid and worried.

"I will go back to transport reinforcements. Be careful and good luck"

After saying that, the driver left the place with the carriage. Ryu stepped forward towards the distant undead horde and then stopped to observe. The amount seemed to be comparable to the graveyard incident back then, but this time there was an advantage of being in the middle of the day, so visibility was much better.

 _Julius Nifta will take care of them instantly, but displaying such thing in front of these guards would be a bad idea_.

Just as Ryu was thinking about that, the undead horde started to advance towards his location. Ryu could hear the guard screaming in fear, which was natural because they were vastly outnumbered.

"Quit feeling afraid! Form a line and ready your spears! Archers, start aiming!"

Ryu approached the officer who had just shouted the order to his men.

"We will hold the front line"

The officer could only said one word.

"What?"

There was no time to explain further, so Ryu just turned around towards the distant horde.

"Lily, get on my back"

Lily immediately understood and clinged on Ryu's back. Ryu then charged photon on his hand and casted the forward-propelling tech.

 _Ilzonde!_

The two of them zoomed towards the undead horde with incredible speed and stopped within a stone's throw distance from the horde.

"Watch my back"

"Yes, Ryu-san"

Ryu took his Gal Wind talis and threw it towards the horde in front. Once the feather-shaped talis went into the horde, Ryu charged photon and casted the same tech combo he had used fairly recently.

 _Zondeel!_

 _Nazonde_!

Zondeel created a wide field where everything would be forcefully drawn to the center, and Nazonde created a big ball of lightning, damaging everything within range and converted Zondeel field from a sucking field into an electrifying field. All undead caught within the tech combo were instantly fried, and the Gal Wind feather reappeared in Ryu's grasp with a flicker of light.

The combo wiped out about one hundred undead, but the horde still had a lot more. As if they realized the threat in front of them, they advanced faster, intending to quickly crush the source of the threat.

Ryu put Gal Wind back into his coat and drew out his Weddle Park

 _Nafoie!_

 _Nafoie!_

He casted a tech twice in quick succession, aiming towards the horde at a slightly different angle. Each cast produced a sphere of fire energy which moved forward in motion similar to a ball being thrown. When they touched the ground, a wide cone-shaped fire field appeared, burning all undead caught within them. Casting two Nafoie at a slightly different angle made the resulting cones form a very wide cone together.

After the fire field disappeared, the remaining undead beings halted their advance. They slowly turned around and retreated back into the fog, disappearing from sight.

"Strange. I thought they would just mindlessly continue advancing. Is there something commanding them?"

"Do we pursue, Ryu-san?"

"Let's go back to the guards first. Get on my back again"

Using the same method as before, the two of them went back to where the guards were stationed. When they arrived all the guards were silent, not believing what they had seen. The captain nervously approached Ryu and gave a salute.

"T-Thank you for your hard work!"

"Stay vigilant. There's a chance that they will resume"

Before they could converse further, the captain's face turned pale as if he just saw something horrible. Ryu turned around to see what was happening, and he quickly understood.

An undead skeletal dragon came out from the fog flying fast towards his location and landed within a stone's throw from him. It roared loudly after landing, causing some guards to shriek.

"Retreat and live to fight another day. We will handle this"

"Please retreat with us, sir! Skeletal dragons are immune to magic!"

"If that's the case, let me fight it, Ryu-san!"

"Alright, but be careful. Fall back if it gets dangerous"

 _Shifta!_

 _Deband!_

Ryu quickly casted his buffing techs, and Lily charged towards the skeletal dragon with her shield readied. The dragon, being a massive creature of at least five meters tall from ground to shoulder and more than fifteen meters long from tail to head, tried to stomp Lily with its right fore leg. Lily evaded with a dodge roll, and then she immediately launched herself at that leg and gave it a hard kick.

The kicked leg shattered, and the dragon fell to its side. Lily was surprised on the effectiveness of her kick because she expected it to only make a crack at most.

"Is it actually fragile?"

Taking advantage of its rather long neck, the skeletal dragon tried to bite Lily who was near enough from the head, but once again Lily evaded with a dodge roll and counter attacked with a kick. Unfortunately this time the dragon evaded by launching itself upwards with its remaining legs and then flying out of Lily's range.

"Archers! Fire!"

The captain saw what was happening and ordered the archers to fire. The archers immediately shot the dragon with their arrows. Lily retreated back to Ryu in order to avoid being hit by stray arrows.

Sadly, there weren't enough archers to deal substantial damage. The dragon was distracted but generally undamaged. Still, a number of arrows pierced the leather-like sheets of its wings, effectively cutting its capability to fly. Soon, the dragon landed while trying to balance itself without one fore leg.

"Archers! Hold your fire!"

As soon as the archers stopped firing, Lily went back into the fight, quickly running to the dragon. It responded with a tail sweep, but she evaded by jumping. After landing on her feet, she launched herself at the dragon's tail, which was the closest thanks to its recent attack, and gave it a vertical slash with both swords. The impact shattered the struck part of tail, separating the tail from the body. As the result, the dragon lost balance and fell down again.

Lily quickly jumped to the body and ran on it towards the neck. When she got there she quickly jumped and did the same vertical slash move to the neck. It was a hit and the struck part shattered, effectively beheading the skeletal dragon. The head was still moving for a few seconds, trying to gnaw at thin air, and then it fell silent. Not going to take chances, Lily jumped at the head and shattered it.

It was over. Lily defeated the skeletal dragon.

"I did it, Ryu-san!"

The guards cheered and applauded seeing what Lily had just done. In their knowledge it would take a team of Mithril Rank adventurers to defeat a single skeletal dragon, but she had done that alone.

When Lily returned to him, Ryu gave her a pat on the back.

"Good job, Lily. I knew I could always count on you"

"Tee-hee!"

Lily grinned happily with Ryu's praise.

"Still, let's stay vigilant and monitor the situation"

The two of them sat down on a rock, resting while still keeping an eye on the distant fog. Nothing happened even after waiting for fifteen minutes.

Instead, reinforcements came.

Several carriages transporting groups of adventurers arrived. Among them Ryu could recognize a few. He saw Darkness team, and Armed And Dangerous team.

Momon was the first to approach the guard captain. Their distance to Ryu was close enough for him to hear the conversation.

"What is the current situation?"

"Sir! Currently the situation is clear! The Mithril Rank team who came first has wiped out the undead horde!"

The captain spoke loud enough that the other adventurers heard him and gasped. At this point Ryu could feel that a bunch of people were looking at him. He ignored them and kept looking towards the fog. Darkness was the only group who was not surprised hearing that.

"What?! So there's no more left already?"

Ryu could easily recognize that it was Shaun who asked.

"Yes, the magic caster wiped the swarm and the warrior defeated a skeletal dragon by herself, sir. Currently they are keeping watch over the fog in case more of the undead appears"

Momon stood with his arms folded hearing it, while Shaun and the rest of his team stood still speechless. Momon then walked to Ryu.

"Ryu-san"

"Momon-dono"

"Good work. You can leave the rest to us and go home if you are tired"

"I think yes, I will do just that. I already spent most of my mana back then"

It was not a lie, but Ryu didn't tell that his photon energy had already fully recharged long before the reinforcements arrived. He assumed that Ainz might want to increase the fame of his Momon persona, so Ryu decided to fall back from the site.

"Thank you for your hard work"

Ryu stood up and shook hands with Momon.

"Be careful out there, Momon-san"

"Thank you for your concern"

Ryu was about to walk away, but he saw something in the vicinity of the fog. The fog obscured it, so Ryu could only see a silhouette. Within a few seconds, the thing moved away and disappeared from sight.

"Momon-dono"

"What is it?"

"From your knowledge, are there undead creatures in the form of floating fish?"

"I do know several undead creatures similar to that. Is something the matter?"

"Nothing, I thought that I saw something like that within the fog. But I might be mistaken. It is quite far away after all"

"I see"

 _I really thought I saw a Dahgash back there. I sure hope I was mistaken._

Dahgash.

A Darker in the form of floating bloated fish with large gaping mouth and sharp teeth. They often attack in swarms along with Dagacha, a smaller version of them, and many inexperienced ARKS operatives had received a free trip to the clinic after getting either overwhelmed or backstabbed by these darkers. Dahgash was one type of the aquatic-themed minions of Dark Falz Elder/Hunar.

 _Really, even if that means I can go home, I don't want this planet to be targeted by Darkers too._

Nevertheless, Ryu and Lily went to one of the carriages and headed back to E-Rantel with it.

Two days later, Ryu once again got a letter from Ainzach, calling him to come to his office. Ryu complied and came there immediately. When he arrived, he saw that Ainzach was accompanied by not only Theo Rakheshir, but also Momon.

"Welcome, Ryu-san and Lily-san!"

"It's nice to see you again, Ainzach-dono, Rakheshir-dono, and Momon-dono"

Ryu shook hands with all three of them. Lily also did the same, and then everyone in the room sat down on their seats. The way they sat down made Ryu feel as if he was being interviewed for job application.

"First off, I'd like to thank you for the work well done in holding the undead off"

"I was simply doing the best I could"

"You don't need to be so humble, Ryu-san. Wiping out at least three hundred undeads is not a simple feat. Lily-san single-handedly slaying a skeletal dragon is also an incredible feat"

"The guard archers helped by forcing the dragon to land! Ryu-san also casted enhancement spells on me! I didn't slay it alone!"

"The fact remained that you slayed it, no? In any case, it's your turn, Theo"

Rakheshir cleared his throat and began speaking.

"The Magician's Guild has finally finished appraising the spellbook. The illusion spell coating it prevented us from confirming, but we have determined it to be an ancient relic which has been lost for more than a hundred years, the False Vision Grimoire. It contains all illusion spells available to mankind, but it hides its content partially to anyone depending on their magic knowledge, to the point that someone without any magic knowledge would see it as a plain empty book"

"Oh..."

"What intrigues me is that you told me you saw it as an empty book, yet you are a magic caster"

 _Well of course, my 'magic' is just photon technology after all_. _But now what should I say?_

"Pardon me for interjecting the talk"

Momon suddenly spoke up.

"Isn't it possible that the book only reveals its content to someone with _illusion_ magic knowledge?"

"Ah, you brought up a good point, Momon-kun. Don't you agree with that, Theo?"

"It's plausible. In any case, our guild would like to have this book in our possession. However, the value of it is so high that we will go bankrupt trying to buy it from you"

 _I don't want to be overwhelmed with money right now..._

"Don't mind about it, Rakheshir-dono. I hereby state that I donate the book to Magician's Guild of E-Rantel"

There was a silence for a few seconds, and then suddenly Rakheshir jumped from his seat.

"WHAAAAAT!? YOU GAVE US THE GRIMOIRE JUST LIKE THAT!?"

Rakheshir was sweating and panting heavily.

"Yes, it has no value for me"

"Ryu-san. Allow me to speak for a minute"

"Yes, Momon-dono"

"While I know you have a good intention at heart, you have to always be considerate about the value of the item. Imagine it this way; an item which would be very valuable for you and you have spent a great amount of time and resources looking for it, and suddenly someone gives it to you as if the item is worthless for them. It doesn't feel good for you, no? In addition, if you keep doing something like this you will eventually make a habit of it and people will start taking advantage of you"

Ryu thought about it for a moment. He actually had a point, but Ryu had already made the statement so there was no way to take it back. Not that he wanted to take it back anyway.

"Thank you for the advice, Momon-dono. I will stay with my previous statement that the book is donated, but I will clarify my reasons. Rather than having it collecting dust in my inventory, I will be definitely happier if the item I randomly found during a job becomes useful for someone else who knows its true value"

"HURRAH! LET ME KISS YOU!"

Rakheshir jumped from his place towards Ryu. Ryu felt that this would be rather unpleasant, so he did something.

 _Nazonde_

An uncharged casting without weapon created a lightning sphere aura around Ryu's body. Rakheshir got electrified and fell down to the floor, but he was otherwise unharmed.

"Theo, you really need to keep yourself civil"

Rakheshir slowly stood up and returned to his seat.

"Sorry, I couldn't control myself from the excitement"

"Alright, moving on. The combined fact that you have retrieved a valuable ancient relic and you did incredible feats in Katze Plains. The Guild has decided to directly promote your team to Orichalcum"

At this point, Ryu could no longer be surprised. This planet definitely had low standards for combat power.

"As an Adamantite Rank adventurer, do you have any objections, Momon-kun?"

"I have no objections, Guildmaster. They have done feats befitting beyond their rank"

"Then it is settled. Please take your new plate here"

Ainzach presented their new plates, and the two of them took one for each.

"Also, here"

Rakheshir presented a money pouch.

"What is that for?"

"I actually have prepared a down payment of 50 platinum coins for that grimoire, intending to pay you in smaller installments over time. Please take this anyway despite your intention to donate the grimoire. Consider this a form of gratitude from Magician's Guild"

"Alright then"

Deep inside his mind, Ryu made a wry smile. He just kept getting money very easily his sense of value probably had started deteriorating already.

Ryu took the money pouch and put it into his coat, at least that was what it looked like. In truth, when the pouch was obscured from others behind his coat, he put it into his photon inventory.

"Ryu-san, Lily-san. Now that you are Orichalcum, I highly recommend you to stay in a place more fitting to your rank"

"Is that really needed, Ainzach-dono?"

Before Ainzach could answer, Momon spoke up.

"I support that recommendation, and I highly recommend Shining Golden Pavilion"

"I agree with Momon-kun!"

Seeing both Momon and Ainzach, Ryu let out a little sigh.

"I will consider it"

"By the way, have you thought about your team name?"

"I think yes"

"You can tell me, and I will take care of it for you today"

"Ignite Maximus"

That name came from putting together the two ARKS teams Ryu had been a part of. He had been a member of Maximus during his greenhorn days, and later Maximus branched off, creating a new team named IGNITE, which Ryu joined. He hoped his teammates had made it out safely from that disaster.

"Alright then. Thank you for your work, and congratulations for your promotion"

"Please excuse us then"

The two of them left the room and went downstairs. When they arrived in the usual main room, Ryu saw the Armed And Dangerous team. They seemed to have prepared for a long trip, with all the luggage they all brought with them. Shaun noticed Ryu and Lily, so he waved his hand.

"Ah, Ryu and Lily! How are you?"

Ryu approached Shaun and shook hands with him.

"We're doing good"

"Now you're Orichalcum, huh? From that moment I knew that your rank was lower than your actual strength and my merge proposal was nothing more than a pipe dream"

"Can't be helped. Everyone have to start from Copper anyway no matter their strength"

Everyone in AAD team nodded in agreement.

"So, what's with the luggage? Another long job?"

"Ah, actually we're going to move to another city"

"Oh"

"This city got two top-class adventurer teams within a short time, we won't have any chance to shine at this rate. Especially that Momon guy. Ever since he became Adamantite, he went through all Platinum and higher jobs and finished them all quickly!"

"Do you hate him for that?"

"Yeah, a little. But it can't be helped. So we decide to move to another city. So yeah, so long. Until we meet again"

"Good luck and be careful"

"By the way, what is the name of your team? You should already have an official one by now, right?"

"Ignite Maximus"

"Alright! I will make sure to remember when I hear that name someday! Farewell and good luck!"

With high spirits the AAD team left the guild building. Somehow Ryu felt that their conversation had been more comfortable than the previous.

"Ryu-san, he seemed to be better than before"

"Either he respected us more thanks to rank difference, or everything simply has been a misunderstanding"

Ryu moved to Golden Pavilion at the next day, and soon enough he realized why Momon had supported Ainzach's recommendation. Momon also stayed in the same inn, and through some random chance his room and Ryu's room was right next to each other. This way it would be much easier for Momon to contact him as Ainz, and perhaps to keep watch over him as well.

Another two days had passed from the day Ryu moved to Golden Pavilion. Ryu and Lily had just finished eating their breakfast when suddenly a dark portal appeared in the middle of the room. Nobody came out from it after half a minute, but it stayed there. Both of them knew very well what that meant.

"Ainz is calling us, isn't he?"

"Definitely"

"How did he know that we're here?"

"He has eyes and ears everywhere. Let's just go with that"

Ryu had already paid the inn for one month rent in advance, so there should be no problems even if the mission from Ainz would take a while.

"Ready, Lily?"

"Ready when you are, Ryu-san"

With everything settled, the two of them went into the portal, ready for whatever mission Ainz was going to assign them.

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 **[X][X][X]**

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 **Afterword:**

 **Sorry if this chapter felt boring. It seemed like a good chapter when I wrote it but after I finished I realized that it's just a pattern of [Inn-Ainzach's office-someplace] three times over. Nevertheless, now I will proceed to Vol. 4 of the novel, and I'm telling you that there will be a big change at the climax which might affect future stories.**

 **Trivia:** **The scene where Momon gave a herb to Ainzach came from The Sealed Evil Tree drama CD ending scene.**

 **By the way, do you think I've just made Ryu too rich? I'm not too well-versed in Overlord lore regarding the money value. Help on this matter would be appreciated.**


	20. Chapter 17: Opening Acts of The Invasion

**Hi, all!**

 **I have a little announcement that the Introduction chapter has been updated a little. There's no significant new information there, I just wanted to make it look better. I also added Lily's character sheet in the Intermission chapter which tells about her origin.**

 **Without further ado, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

The trip through the dark portal was instant like usual.

Ryu and Lily ended up in the throne room of Nazarick, and right in front of them Ainz was sitting on his throne with Albedo standing by his side. Both Ryu and Lily kneeled immediately to show respect.

"Thank you for coming, Ryu and Lily. Now stand up"

Ryu and Lily stood up as instructed.

"Now, about the task I'm going to assign you. Albedo"

Albedo stepped forward a bit and began speaking.

"Lord Ainz wishes to eliminate a number of lizardman tribes to the northwest. A guardian has been deployed there to prepare for the invasion due in seven days. Your task is to accompany him as his advisor during this time"

"Eliminate? As in, a genocide?"

Albedo's face frowned a little, and Ainz seemed to give her a hand gesture which made her return to her calm and collected face.

"Yes. Lord Ainz wishes to use their corpses to add more troops to his vast undead army"

Ryu was quite surprised. What would be the purpose of raising an undead army for Ainz? Would he, like the mastermind behind the graveyard incident, attempt to bring chaos into civilizations? Has he been fooled by Ainz's benevolence all along? Unlikely, but still...

"Ryu, you probably are now questioning the purpose of my action. I will let you know that I seek to protect"

Ryu kept himself silent, listening to what Ainz would say next.

"This world is never safe. Out there exists powerful beings, far more powerful than what you have seen so far in this world, that can threaten the well-beings of my home, The Tomb of Nazarick, and all who live here. I have recently learned it the hard way"

"What happene- Never mind..."

Ryu was about to ask, but he cancelled it because he thought it was not a good idea to make someone recall a bad memory.

"In order to create a troop that does not disappear after a certain amount of time has passed, my magic requires a corpse. So far I have been using the corpse of the people who have attempted to attack us unprovoked, but it is not enough. However, taking more human corpse would be the same as unnecessarily making more enemies, and I also seek to look for creatures, the corpse of which would make better troops. Now, do you see where I am going, Ryu?"

"I think so, yes"

Ryu could conclude that Ainz wanted to use the corpse of the lizardman race in order to avoid killing more humans as much as he could while also finding out if they would result in stronger undead troops. Still, it was difficult for Ryu to agree on this.

"I know you are still against this kind of action, which is why you are given an indirect role. The invasion will go on, and it will succeed, even without you"

"With all due respect, then what is the purpose of my presence?"

Albedo was the one answering Ryu's question.

"Lord Ainz has his own reasons. If he believes you will contribute, you definitely will"

Ryu was conflicted, but in the end he made the decision.

"Alright, I will do it"

"Ryu, let me clarify that your role will be just that; an advisor. You will not participate in the battle, and while Cocytus and his vassals will likely listen to you, whether they agree with your words or not is a different matter"

"Understood"

"Also, you will leave Lily here"

"Pardon me?"

"I want you to do this mission alone, so Lily will stay here. Fear not, I promise you in the name of Ainz Ooal Gown that no harm will come to her as long as she remains within Nazarick"

Ryu was conflicted in his mind. While he knew he could still trust Ainz, leaving Lily within a fortress inhabited by obviously non-human creatures might become unpleasant for her. He couldn't ask Lily if she was fine with it, because she definitely would answer that she was fine, no matter what. Also, while he wished to deny it, he pretty much had become Lily's doting daddy. He probably would long for her within a day.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Why is he hesitating? Is he not trusting me yet?_

Ainz pondered about Ryu's hesitation, and then he remembered about Ryu having high affection to Lily.

 _That must be it_.

Ainz had an objective in mind for having Lily remained in Nazarick, therefore he had to convince Ryu to leave her here. But how would he do that? What kind of wordplay would convince him without making him feel forced to do so?

 _I will dig deeper for now_.

"Ryu, I see that you are hesitating. Tell me the reason behind your hesitation. I will do everything within my powers to erase that hesitation off from your mind"

"It's just that..."

Ryu seemed even more anxious, switching glances between Lily and Ainz. Lily herself seemed to be a little confused.

"I will miss her quickly and I'm afraid that will disturb my focus"

Ryu said that while looking embarrassed, while Lily seemed to be a little surprised hearing that.

"In that case, I will give you something to ease your mind"

Ainz produced something that looked like a pocket mirror from his inventory. He tossed them towards Ryu, and the mirror glided in a straight line to him. Ryu received the mirror looking confused.

"Hold it facing her and put your finger on the green circle at the corner"

Ryu did exactly that, and the mirror glowed a bit. Soon enough, he was surprised to see the mirror displaying a live footage of Lily.

"With that, you can check her condition on the fly. That will be enough, no?"

"Yes, this is more than enough. Thank you!"

"Keep in mind that there's no sound and its range is limited. The footage might not be as clear as now once you are at the site"

 _I'm pretty sure it will be blurry and delayed as fuck, but whatever_. _Now he is convinced_.

The Spy Mirror was a low tier consumable item which, after being used like a camera towards a target, would display a live footage of the target until the target dies, after which the mirror would turn to dust. He had tested it on Narberal's Nabe persona before, but the distance from Nazarick to E-Rantel was already too far for it to display anything. The site where Cocytus was stationed now was about half that distance, so it might still works. He had never tested on how far the maximum and optimal range was, though.

"Now, Ryu. Are you ready to go?"

Ryu put his hands on Lily's shoulders.

"I will be gone for a while. Be well, Lily"

"You too, Ryu-san!"

Ryu faced Ainz, now with his face looking confident.

"I'm ready, Ainz-dono"

[Gate]

"Good luck, Ryu. May you contribute a lot for Ainz Ooal Gown!"

Ryu then walked into the portal, and once he disappeared from sight Ainz dispelled the portal. After the portal disappeared, Lily was still nearby, looking a bit anxious.

"Albedo, leave the two of us alone for the time being"

"As you wish, Ainz-sama"

Albedo promptly walked away from the throne room. Now there were only Ainz and Lily inside the massive throne room. Ainz stood up from the throne and walked to Lily, who still looked anxious.

"Lily"

"Y-Yes, Ainz-dono?"

Ainz hugged Lily. Naturally, Lily was surprised by the sudden embrace.

In his embrace she seemed very small compared to himself. Ainz himself felt a little strange doing this. The last time he had embraced a girl other than Lily had been the time when he had just revived Shalltear after the mind control incident. He had hugged Shalltear out of great relief, as if he had gotten back his lost child whom he loved. This time, he merely wanted to ease her mind, taking advantage of how Lily looked up to him dearly despite not being her master.

"A-Ainz-dono?"

"Welcome home to Nazarick, Lily"

"B-But this grand place isn't my home. I mean... It's yours"

Ainz gently caressed Lily with his hand. Like before, Lily probably did not feel it because of her armor, but he didn't care about that. Making Lily comfortable with him would be beneficial.

But why right now he felt something he couldn't explain deep within? It was very faint, but it was there. Did he just grow to love Lily despite his original intention of merely using her to keep Ryu under surveillance? If that was true, what could be the reason? Unlike Pandora's Actor, whom he had meticulously crafted with his own hands, Lily had been completely randomized so there should have been little to no attachment. Moreover, this strange feeling was faint so his emotion override trait did not activate.

Ainz put the strange feelings aside and spoke.

"Lily, like I said before. You are one of my children. Tomb of Nazarick is my home, so it is also your home. What kind of parent would say otherwise?"

Hearing that, Lily smiled and her arms also hugged Ainz.

"I love you... father"

 _What...?_

Ainz was a little shocked by what Lily just said. He released his hug and then once they were apart he cleared his non-existent throat.

"Lily, while it is technically true, I'd prefer that you don't call me that"

Lily gave a little laugh.

"Okay then, Ainz-papa!"

"Not that either... "

Lily just grinned.

"Anyway, you can go anywhere you like within this tomb but don't go too far away. My guardians know you already but their vassals might not, and most of them are not exactly friendly with humans"

"Alright then! See you later, Ainz-daddy!"

Ainz just sighed as Lily ran off from the throne room.

 _She is much harder to control than expected_. _Then again, the control belongs to Ryu all along, so now that Ryu is away and she feels comfortable with me, she has become a loose cannon. Did I just make a mistake?_

Ainz sat down on his throne, and then he remembered something horrible.

 _Oh crap! If Ryu looked at that spy mirror right away he would have seen everything! Please let it be too far for the mirror!_

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ryu arrived at the other side of the portal. The first thing he saw was a wooden log cabin situated in the middle of a small grass plain, which was surrounded by trees. He immediately took the mirror from Ainz and looked at it. Like Ainz had warned, the footage was not as clear. In fact, there was nothing to see other than a disturbed screen similar to a broken old tube TV.

 _I hope it will get better later_.

Ryu put the mirror back into his coat, and right after that someone came out from the log cabin. It was a tall humanoid insect monster with light blue color for its body. Ryu knew him quite well already.

"Welcome. To. My. Outpost. Ryu."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Cocytus-dono"

"Come. In." "I. Will. Brief. You."

Ryu followed Cocytus as he went into the cabin. Inside, while sitting on a chair facing each other with a table between them, Cocytus briefed Ryu about his objective and the binding conditions. From there Ryu learned that Cocytus was only allowed to use the troops provided by Ainz. He and his vassals were not allowed to participate in the coming battle at all.

"I wonder about the reason behind the conditions"

"I. Don't. Question. A. Supreme. Being." "I. Obey. Lord. Ainz."

"Alright. Continue"

Ryu then learned about the number of lizardman tribes and the order of attacks to be carried out during the day, which would come in seven days. He also learned that all the tribes had been sent a warning message in advance the day before today.

"Fill me in on the strength of your army"

Cocytus gave Ryu the information. The amount was quite massive, but depending on the number of capable warriors within the enemy side it might not be enough. Ryu believed Ainz's words that the invasion would succeed anyway, therefore he was determined to help as best as he could, so he would no longer owe anything and he would never have to do this kind of thing again.

"What about the lizardman tribes?"

"There. Is. No. Need." "The. Troops. Will. Crush. Them."

 _Is he seriously underestimating the opponents?_

"Have you considered that the lizardmen tribes might band together during these seven days?"

"Scenario. Already. Considered."

Ryu had nothing further to say. He was originally a soldier who fought on the battlefield to begin with, so working as a strategist likely wouldn't work out well despite his best efforts. Moreover, like Ainz had said, Cocytus took Ryu's word seriously but agreeing was a different story.

 _Can I somehow convince him to at least do a recon on enemy activities?_

"Cocytus-dono. I highly recommend you to monitor the activities of the opponents. We never know what they are, or will be capable of doing in times of crisis"

There was a silence for a few seconds.

"I. Will. See. If. I. Can. Spare. Some. Troops. To. Scout."

"Thank you for taking my words into consideration"

"If. You. Have. No. More. Questions. Or. Suggestions. You. May. Leave."

"Uhh, where do I sleep during these days?"

"There. Is. A. Bedroom. Back. There." "Feel. Free. To. Use. It."

"Alright then"

"Also. Drink. This."

Cocytus presented a vial of thick orange liquid. It was a "Potion of Lesser Sustenance (1 Week)" which would eliminate all basic necessities except sleep for one week. Ryu of course knew nothing about that.

"What is this? A potion?"

"There. Is. No. Food. Or. Drink. Here." "This. Will. Eliminate. Your. Need. For. Those. For. One. Week"

"I see"

Ryu took the potion and drank it. He felt pretty much nothing after drinking it. Whether it was effective or not, he would have to wait and see.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Tomb of Nazarick, Night, Five Days before Invasion**

"Hahahaha! He really did that?"

"Yes! Ryu-sama acted like a doting daddy, didn't he?"

Lily, who had put her armor away and let her hair down, was sitting on the bed inside Ainz's private bedroom with Ainz himself at her side. He had invited Lily there just for an idle chat. He had laughed after hearing her story that Ryu had stalked her despite having given her a free time for herself. Ainz's emotion override didn't kick in this time, which was a little weird but he put that aside since there was no harm done.

"And you know what happens afterwards?"

"What is it?"

"He never leaves my side again, always giving a scary gaze to any guy he finds suspicious when we walk around town!"

"Doting daddy confirmed! Hahahaha! Ugh..."

It finally kicked in, and he felt a bit empty.

"What's wrong, papa?"

A feeling of embarrassment creeped up inside Ainz's mind. He didn't really want Lily calling him such, but yesterday he had lost a rock-paper-scissors bet and therefore he had to let Lily call him with that until Ryu came back.

 _I could have won easily with Time Stop, but using such expensive magic for such trivial thing would have been petty._

"It's nothing. Anyway, it's bed time. Now go to sleep"

"Aww, I still want to talk with you, papa"

"I still have works to do. We can do this again tomorrow, alright?"

"Alright..."

Lily repositioned herself and lied down on the bed. Indeed, just for tonight Ainz had let her sleep in his bedroom instead of the guest room. Once Lily was properly positioned, he spread the bed's blanket over Lily's body.

"Good night, my child"

"Good night, papa. I love you"

Ainz leaned over as if he was about to kiss her on the forehead. Lily closed her eyes, happily expecting it to come.

However...

[Maximize Magic: Dull All Senses]

"Kashin Koji, you can come out"

With the cast of a spell followed by a whisper, a wisp of light came out from Lily's body. As a side effect of the wisp emerging, Lily immediately fell unconscious, but all the setup kept her unharmed so it was the same as if she just fell into a peaceful sleep.

Soon, the wisp transformed into the humanoid ninja monster Ainz had assigned as the spy. The ninja immediately bowed down as a sign of respect.

"My Lord"

"Kashin Koji. Your task now is to write a report about everything that has happened so far during your work as a spy. Deliver it to my office within six hours"

"Right away, My Lord"

The ninja then walked away from the bedroom. After the bedroom door closed, Ainz let out a sigh and sat down on the bed.

 _That was tiring._

Ainz would have preferred to extract the spy from Lily in any other less exhausting ways, but this was the best way he could think of which would do the job while still keeping her comfortable and unaware.

Ainz looked at Lily for a moment, and then he stood up and walked away from the bed.

However, when he was about to reach the door, he stopped.

He then looked back at the peacefully sleeping Lily again for a moment, and then he turned around and walked back to the bed. Once he was close, he leaned over, his hand caressing Lily's head, and he gently kissed her forehead with his nonexistent lips.

Feeling a little strange, Ainz stood up, turned around, and walked away from the bedroom towards his office room.

He had no idea that someone had been standing at a nearby dark corner. It was Albedo. She had heard everything from the moment Ainz and Lily had entered the bedroom, and she had been peeking inside when Ainz had given Lily a forehead kiss.

"Ahh, Ainz-sama... The method to have the spy return was truly the result of a supreme mind worthy of a supreme being..."

Albedo whispered it to herself so only she alone could hear it.

"But why... why do I feel so... upset... with **that human girl sleeping on his bed!?"**

Albedo panted heavily, and then she furiously bit and pulled a handkerchief. Her rage-filled face right now was so hideous anyone in Nazarick would feel uneasy at best, or run away at worst.

"They got... **so close together! Urrrgh!"**

"And she got... **A kiss!** On the forehead, **but it is still something I desire from Ainz-sama!"**

Soon, she panted heavily again, her handkerchief torn into pieces.

 **Beep! Beep!**

The notification of Message startled her a bit, but she picked it up, immediately reverting back into her calm self.

"Albedo"

"Ainz-sama. How can I be of service?"

"Come to my office and help me with all these reports"

"I will be there right away, Ainz-sama"

Albedo walked away from Ainz's bedroom. She stopped from a moment and looked back towards the bedroom door.

"Hmph!"

With a little frown on her face, Albedo resumed her walk towards Ainz's office.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Tomb of Nazarick, Two Hours Past Midnight, Five Days before Invasion**

Both Ainz and Albedo were in his office room, going through the daily reports of all Nazarick activities. They were not expecting anyone to come at this time when someone knocked on the door.

"You may come in"

After Ainz said it, the door opened, revealing a humanoid monster in ninja outfit. It was the Kashin Koji spy.

"My Lord, I have brought you the report"

 _One hour earlier than expected, huh?_

"Alright, let me see it"

The ninja gave the report, which consisted of a thick stack of papers with handwriting, to Ainz.

"Sit down anywhere you like while I read this"

"Thank you, My Lord"

The ninja immediately went down into seiza position right there on the floor. Ainz ignored it and read the report. It was pretty nicely detailed, too detailed in fact.

 _I don't need this much detail, but I can't just sweep away his effort like that._

Ainz skimmed through the report using a quick reading technique he had learned during his office days as the ordinary human Suzuki Satoru. It was a handy technique to obtain all the crucial points presented in the report while also saving time. He didn't really like using this because there was still a chance of missing some details that might or might not be important, but in this case he had to return the spy back into Lily's body before she woke up so he had to save time.

Half an hour later, Ainz was almost done with the stack.

 _How did he write this much within five hours? And so far nothing interesting came up. At this rate- wait!_

Ainz finally reached the part where Ryu had wiped out the undead horde at Katze Plains. The report described the methods Ryu had used to do the job.

 _A large feather creating a field which forcefully draw enemies into the center, and then detonated into a large lightning ball._

 _Two fireballs creating a large firefield._

It was interesting for Ainz to know more of Ryu's combat capabilities which he had never seen yet, but then he came across something even more interesting.

The report mentioned about a silhouette of a floating fish at a distance. There was even a sketch of the silhouette on the page. Ainz had never seen any monster shaped like that. Back then, after Ryu and Lily had left Katze Plains, Ainz, as Momon, only had faced several groups of zombies and skeletons.

 _Is this the thing Ryu saw back then? Might be merely a local monster, but he seemed concerned somewhat._

"Kashin Koji"

"Yes, My Lord"

"You did a great job"

"I don't deserve such praise, My Lord"

Ainz then took a bunch of scrolls from his inventory and presented it to the ninja.

"This one is a Reverse Assimilate scroll, and the rest are more Message scrolls for you to use. Now return to her body and continue your work like before. Thank you for your hard work"

"Right away, My Lord"

The ninja then stood up and left the office room. Ainz let out a sigh, feeling a little tired after reading the ninja's report.

"Ainz-sama, may I request permission to ask a question?"

"Permission granted. What is it?"

"What do you see that human girl as? What is her worth, that you swore under your supreme name for her?"

 _What...?_

Ainz couldn't help wondering why Albedo suddenly asked that out of the blue. He looked at Albedo's face, and he could notice that her face was a little off. She still looked as calm and collected as ever, but she looked a little worried.

"Ah, please never mind the question, and forgive me for wasting your precious time"

"No, Albedo. You have asked and I will answer. I see Lily as a useful tool to keep Ryu under our watch, and she will continue to be that way until the end"

"I see"

"However, since she is created by my own hands with an item that I only had one of, you can say that she is one of a kind, and has the same standing as you and all other guardians within Nazarick. To tell you the truth, whenever I was close to her I feel something strange, as if she was someone dear to me"

Albedo got agitated with envy hearing that because what Ainz had said pretty much confirmed that Lily was someone special to Ainz.

Ainz was not looking at Albedo, so he didn't notice it and just continued speaking.

"She's a bit small, and also childish. So maybe I'd rather say she's my daughter in a sense?"

Ainz laughed a bit after saying that.

"Speaking of which, the same also applies to the twins, doesn't it? Now I feel like I'm fathering three kids. Ahh... I wonder if they could live happily without a mother figure... If only I could have someone to take that role for them... But that means I have to marry someone... But does that mean she would be their stepmother? And also, marriage for someone like me is..."

Ainz let out a sigh, and then he suddenly realized that he had been rambling like a grumpy old man in front of Albedo.

"I apologize for suddenly rambling and derailed the topic. Pay it no heed. Did you get the answer you were looking for?"

"You don't need to apologize, Ainz-sama. I would be happy to listen to anything you wish to talk about. And yes, your answer was what I was looking for. I am deeply grateful for that"

"Then let us continue with these reports"

"Right away, Ainz-sama"

 _Now she seemed happier. I wonder if it was because of something in my rambling._

Ainz of course didn't know that Albedo felt totally relieved after hearing his answer, because it actually meant that Lily was and would be nothing more than a daughter figure for Ainz at best, which also meant that Albedo herself still had the best chance of becoming his bride someday. Her envy had been all for naught, but she was happy for that.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Cocytus' Outpost, One Hour Past Sunrise, Three Days before Invasion**

Ryu walked out from the outpost still feeling a little drowsy. The past days had been stagnant and pretty boring, having been spent on strategy meetings that had brought little to no change. The scouts had reported that as Ryu had expected, the Lizardman tribes had banded together and now they gathered at the village scheduled to be invaded first. But despite knowing that Cocytus and his vassals had not changed any part of the plan.

 _Will the invasion actually succeed at this rate? Then again, if this one fails Ainz might just have Cocytus try again with bigger army._

Ryu took a look at the mirror from Ainz. The display was quite disturbed, but Ryu could see that Lily seemed to be exploring a forest, which Ryu guessed to be the indoor forest located outside the arena Ryu had used to train himself back then. She was accompanied by Mare, so Ryu didn't worry at all.

Ryu put the mirror back into his coat and walked a bit to a nearby open area.

Like in the previous days, in the middle of the open area there was Cocytus, swinging his weapon at thin air. It seemed to be a daily training. Ryu watched Cocytus' training from a distance for a short while, and just as what had happened in the days before, Cocytus noticed his presence.

"Good. Morning. Ryu."

"Good morning, Cocytus-dono"

After the quick exchange, Cocytus resumed his training. Ryu sat down on the ground watching from a distance. Boredom was starting to get over his mind.

A few minutes later, Cocytus suddenly stopped his training and approached Ryu.

"Do. You. Mind. A. Spar?"

Ryu was a little surprised.

"What?"

"You. And. I. Fight. A. Mock. Battle." "Do. Not. Worry. I. Will. Not. Hit. You. For. Real."

"To tell you the truth, I have been quite bored. So yeah, let's do this"

Ryu drew out his Weddle Park and walked to the open field. The two of them distanced themselves from each other and assumed their battle stance.

"Give. Me. Everything. You. Got"

White mist came out from Cocytus' body, and with that signal the battle began.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **I try my best to make every canon characters act and speak in-character, but sometimes it's just too difficult to make sure if I get them right. I do hope it came out good enough.**


	21. Chapter 18: Morning of Battle

**Hi, all!**

 **Before starting with the chapter, I will answer the one question from Hero600. No, it is not the Hakugei. The answer of what it is will come when, and if, I reach the equivalent of volume 9. Though Ryu already suspected what it was so you can take that with a grain of salt.**

 **Also, I have deleted the one intermission chapter which only had an announcement since it is no longer important and might confuse newer visitors.**

 **Anyway, here is the next chapter. You will notice that I skip events which essentially don't change from canon. Oh, cliffhanger warning. XD**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Ilmegid_

Ryu opened the mock battle versus Cocytus with one of his most reliable techs. Five claws of dark energy, their size almost as big as Ryu himself each, came out from his weapon, and all of them homed in to Cocytus.

"Oh." "I. Know. That. One"

With his halberd, Cocytus slashed at one of the dark claws. The claw got split in two and disintegrated. He immediately did an evasive maneuver combined with a counter attack, and two more claws perished. The remaining two claws managed to strike, but before they could turn around to strike again they also met their demise by Cocytus' hands. The damage taken by Cocytus was very minor.

Ryu was naturally surprised. He had never seen Ilmegid getting intercepted like that.

Cocytus could overcome the attack because he had seen that attack once when Ryu had fought the Primal Fire Elemental, so he was a little familiar with that. He actually had not expected the claws to be destructible, but he had tried it anyway and it had turned out favorable for him.

"Show. Me. Something. Different"

Ryu charged his weapon again.

 _Ilmegid_

 _Ilmegid_

This time he casted the same tech twice in quick succession. A total of ten dark claws came out and homed in on Cocytus.

"Merely. Adding. More. Claws. Won't. Work"

Cocytus gracefully evaded and intercepted the claws. In the end only one claw managed to get one strike in. He had fully familiarized himself with how the claws attacked.

"See?"

However, Cocytus was a little late to realize that a floating card-like object was floating right above his head. It was Seimei Kikami Talis. It was generally weaker than Gal Wind Talis, but similar to Weddle Park Rod, it had an innate ability to strengthen photon techs of Dark Element, which more than made up for it.

 _Ramegid_

A very dark cloud formed right above the card, and a swarm of small spheres of dark energy rained from the cloud. The small spheres made small explosions upon touching either the ground or Cocytus. The damage from each explosion was minor, but they would quickly add up so Cocytus immediately moved aside to his left.

 _Gimegid_

A swarm of smaller dark clouds appeared above and around Cocytus, and all of them simultaneously shot a dark laser to his body.

"Hmph!"

Cocytus jumped up, perfectly evading all the dark lasers. While in the air, he looked at Ryu who was no longer holding his purple rod weapon but seemed to be still in battle stance.

 _Samegid_

Suddenly Cocytus felt that he had been hit a bunch of times by something at his right side. He looked right and saw that the card-like object was still floating there vomitting dark energy needles which left dark trails making them look like a swarm of dark snakes. Cocytus defended himself by spinning his halberd to repel the dark needles. Soon enough, the card object stopped vomitting needles.

 _Megid_

A black sphere quite smaller than the previous dark claws came out from the card and homed in on Cocytus at a speed much slower than the claws before. He landed on the ground while trying to keep watch over Ryu, the card object, and the black sphere. When the black sphere got within his weapon range he slashed it with his halberd.

The sphere exploded with dark energy, dealing some damage to Cocytus and briefly making his vision obscured. He immediately went into defensive stance in case he gets attacked while blinded. It only lasted for three seconds, and when he regained vision he immediately noticed a purple magic circle growing on his body.

He knew what the magic circle was, since he had seen the Primal Fire Elemental's demise coming from this spell. He immediately looked at Ryu, who was already holding his purple rod weapon again.

[Piercing Icicle]

Cocytus shot a bunch of icicles towards Ryu, though he tried to suppress their power and aimed slightly off since this was a spar after all. He didn't want to end up hurting Ryu for real.

Ryu disappeared from sight and a few seconds later reappeared some distance away from the area rained by the icicles. The magic circle disappeared from Cocytus' body.

"That. Spell. Won't. Work. On. Me." "I. Will. Interrupt. Your. Casting."

 _Samegid_

More dark needles came out from Ryu's weapon and homed in on Cocytus.

[Ice Pillar]

A large pillar of ice emerged from the ground in front of Cocytus and shielded him from the dark needles. It snapped in half and disintegrated in the end, but it managed to protect Cocytus successfully.

However, Ryu disappeared from his sight.

Cocytus still could feel that he was being targeted by Ryu, but Ryu was no longer in front of him.

 _Ilzonde_

Cocytus suddenly felt a stinging electric sensation, and then he realized that Ryu was right behind him. Could it be the quick movement lightning spell he had seen once before?

 _Gifoie_

A bunch of fireballs formed around Ryu and moved around him in a circular motion, creating a ring of fire around him which burned Cocytus. Cocytus was caught by surprise with that attack he had never seen before, but his exoskeleton had good fire resistance so the damage from the attack was negligible.

"Impressive. Attack." "Too. Bad. I. Possess. Fire. Resistance"

Cocytus turned around while slashing with his halberd. He intended to stop his swing midway just before hitting Ryu, but he sensed that Ryu was already evading with that evasion move so he went through with it.

"Do. You. Have. More. Tricks. Up. Your. Sleeve?"

 _Sazonde_

A small ball of lightning came out from Ryu's weapon and headed straight to Cocytus. Being a little curious, he received it head on. But the ball only stuck to his body without doing any damage.

 _Zonde_

A large lightning bolt from the sky struck Cocytus hard. Moreover, the lightning ball detonated, enveloping him in a continuous and tremendous shocking pain. The shock stopped after a few seconds.

"I. Definitely. Felt. It." "Impressive."

Ryu put down his weapon.

"Are you alright, Cocytus-dono? Did I overdo it?"

"No. Worries." "Let's. Continue. If. You. Are. Not. Out. Of. Mana. Yet"

Ryu went back into battle stance again.

"No worries. I naturally regenerate mana very quickly. I go from empty to full within fifteen seconds"

"Incredible." "Is. That. Common. In. Your. Origin?"

"My combat class enables faster regeneration, but not that much. So yes, it is common"

"I. See." "Come. At. Me. Again"

The two of them fought for a total of half an hour. Cocytus, being a warrior with pride, took interest on how his opponent fought, so he had been intentionally holding back from attacking Ryu while half-mockingly telling him to use something different each time.

"Alright, I lost"

Ryu said that while having Cocytus' halberd pointed right at his face and running out of breath. His mana had quick regeneration but his body's stamina was another matter.

"You. Fought. Well."

Cocytus put his weapon down. There were signs of damage all over his exoskeleton armor.

Ryu immediately fell into sitting position on the ground. His body was quite exhausted from all the tech casting and evasion moves he had done. Cocytus soon sat down next to him.

"Are you alright, Cocytus-dono?"

"Nothing. To. Worry. About" "What. About. You?"

"Just running out of breath. I will heal you back"

Ryu put up his Weddle Park and casted the healing tech while still sitting down.

 _Resta_

With the single cast, Cocytus' exoskeleton came back as good as new. Ryu was a little surprised seeing that.

"Thank. You."

"I honestly didn't think my healing spell could repair damaged armor like that"

"This. Armor. Is. My. Body."

"Wait... doesn't that mean..."

"While. It. Is. Not. Wrong. To. Say. That. I. Am. Naked. I. Would. Prefer. That. You. Don't. Say. It. Out. Loud."

"Alright. Will keep that in mind"

"Nevertheless." "I. Want. To. Know. If. You. Were. Holding. Back. Like. I. Did"

"Yeah, I reduced the power of my attacks. Ainz-dono will kill me if I accidentally harm you severely, or worse"

"Do. You. Think. You. Can. Beat. Me. If. We. Fight. For. Real?"

"I don't think so. You intentionally left yourself full of openings, didn't you?"

"True." "But. Don't. Put. Yourself. Low."

"By the way, Cocytus-dono. Thank you"

"For. What?"

"You see, I specialize in Dark Element spells, but I have never used them in this world outside Nazarick. I've been afraid people would freak out and assume weird things if they see my Dark spells, even though they are merely dark colored energy projections. Thanks to this spar I could finally go all out with my Dark spells after quite a long time"

"I. See." "By. The. Way." "I. Also. Want. To. Know. If. You. Are. Among. The. Strongest. Back. In. Your. Place"

"I'm not the best, but I still can work as a team with the best ones without becoming a hindrance. That's all I can say"

"Hmm..."

There was a silence for a moment.

"I wonder if the others have made it to escape from the disaster"

"Your. Comrades?"

"Yeah. Especially my brother and sister"

"You. Have. Siblings?"

"Oh yes, I haven't told anyone else yet. I have a brother and a sister. They were away on a mission when the disaster struck, so at least I can be certain they are still out there somewhere"

"Are. They. Strong?"

"Different combat class, but yeah. We are about equal"

"Tell. Me. More. About. Them. If. You. Don't. Mind"

"Sure. My brother is Yukasa Seika. He is a Ranger, and my sister is Hikaru Seika. She is a Braver. Oh, maybe instead of Braver you are more familiar to the word Samurai"

"Samurai..."

There was a silence for a few seconds.

"Is something wrong, Cocytus-dono?"

Without saying anything, Cocytus opened some kind of a small portal next to his right arms. One arm reached into the portal, and then he pulled something from it. It was a curved thin sword normally used by a samurai, but this one was very long.

"My. Creator. Is. A. Samurai." "This. Is. From. Him"

"Your creator?"

"A. Supreme. Being. Equal. To. Lord. Ainz." "But. He. Is. No. Longer. Here"

"What happened?"

"He. Left." "Like. Many. Other. Supreme. Beings" "Only. Lord. Ainz. Stayed. With. Us"

"Oh..."

Without saying anything, Cocytus put away the long sword back into the portal.

"Do. You. Mind. If. I. Tell. Lord. Ainz. About. Your. Siblings?" "He. Might. Be. Able. To. Find. Them"

"I don't think they are anywhere within his reach, but go ahead"

Ryu was certain that Yukasa and Hikaru were still among the ARKS by now, so whether Ainz knew their names or not would not matter at all. He indeed hoped to get back together with them again, but until now there was still no lead to the remains of the Gate Ship, if it existed at all. By this time they might already consider him Killed in Action.

Cocytus and Ryu talked for a while until it was time for another strategic meeting which brought no change. Ryu kept wondering if he really would contribute any meaningful things at this rate.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

The boring and stagnant days passed, and it was finally the day of the invasion.

Ryu was not interested in the war, so when the battle was about to begin, he stepped outside the outpost building and stood around doing nothing.

"Advance."

Ryu could hear that one word from Cocytus as he walked out. He was using some kind of messaging spell to command the troops

The battlefield was distant from this place, so there was no way Ryu could see the battle unless he went back into the outpost and watch with everyone else using the large mirror hung on the wall like a flatscreen TV.

While thinking about how to pass time, Ryu remembered something.

He was still wearing the necklace from Ainz. The one supposed to grant flight but he could never manage to use properly.

 _Did Ainz forget to take this back? Or is he still waiting for me to return this by my own accord?_

No matter which case, now Ryu still had the necklace. He then decided to try out the necklace again while waiting for the battle to conclude.

 _Back then he told me to focus my mind on this. I'll try that again_.

Nothing happened.

 _Then I tried charging some photon energy into it._

Ryu's feet left the ground slowly. Like before, he only managed to go up and down vertically with no horizontal movement at all.

 _I didn't try this because it was risky, but..._

Ryu charged even more photon energy into the necklace. He had been only giving a miniscule amount compared to what he could do, but now he charged an amount similar to when he wanted to cast a tech. To be precise, the same amount as if he was about to cast a controlled version to avoid collateral damage.

 _Alright, now... Fly!_

Right after speaking the word in his mind, Ryu left the ground at high speed. This time, it fully worked. He could move in all directions, and controlling the movement was easy enough.

 _So the solution is just as simple as more photon?_

Ryu was very excited. He had never done something like this. Flying by himself and feeling the wind breeze on his face. He thought about things he could do in the future with this ability, but then he remembered that he should return the necklace to Ainz.

 _Guess I better enjoy this while it lasts._

Ryu flew around the area of the outpost, enjoying himself in his flight. Every once in a while he felt that his flight weakened, and all he had to do was to channel photon into the necklace to refresh the flight power.

Still, after quite a while he got a little bored, so he landed near the outpost building. After his feet firmly stepped on the ground, he removed the necklace from his neck and put it into photon inventory.

Right after that, Cocytus came out from the outpost.

"Ryu." "We. Are. Going. Home."

"Is the battle over?"

"Yes."

There was a silence for a few seconds.

"We. Lost."

 _See? I told you._

Ryu wanted to say that right on Cocytus' face, but Cocytus probably was already depressed and ashamed so he decided to not rub more salt into the wound.

"What will happen now?"

"Lord. Ainz. Has. Called. Me. Already." "The. Blame. Is. All. On. Me. So. Don't. Worry."

After Cocytus spoke, a dark portal appeared nearby.

"That. Gate. Is. For. You."

Ryu looked at the portal and walked to it. Right before going in he stopped, looked at Cocytus, and spoke.

"Good luck, Cocytus-dono. Until we meet again"

Cocytus just nodded, and then Ryu went into the portal. After crossing the portal, Ryu found himself in a grand bedroom, which might be Ainz' personal bedroom, and right in front of him stood Ainz and Lily. Without any warning Lily jump-hugged him, nearly causing him to fall down to the floor.

"Welcome back, Ryu-san! I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Lily"

The two of them immediately heard the sound of throat clearing. It was Ainz reminding them of his presence. Lily released her hug, and both she and Ryu stood firmly facing Ainz.

"Welcome back, Ryu. I heard the result of the battle through my underlings"

"I'm sorry about that..."

"It's not your fault. Like I said before, every final decision over there was made by Cocytus. As for your verdict, I will need some more time to evaluate the full reports. You will be called back later"

"Alright then"

"Until then, feel free to walk around as you like. Except the throne room since I will hold an audience there shortly"

"Then please excuse us"

After saying that, Ryu left the room with Lily. After he went past the door, he remembered something.

 _Ah, I forgot to return the necklace. Oh well, I will do that when he calls me back._

Not long later, an audience session was in motion in the throne room with all guardians present. Ryu and Lily both had no idea what happened in there.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz's Office Room, Two Hours After Audience Session**

Ainz was alone sitting behind his desk in the room. Everything has been set into motion, and all he had to do was to wait until the time came. However, right now he was expecting to meet someone.

Soon enough, someone knocked on the door.

"You may come in"

The door clicked and slowly opened, revealing the towering humanoid insect figure he knew very well.

"Sit down over there, Cocytus"

Ainz pointed at the seat right across the table in front of him. Cocytus complied and sat down there. It was very clear that his massive body was far too large for the seat, but it still held anyway.

"So..."

Ainz leaned forward, putting his arms folded on the desk.

"Tell me about the results of your secret mission"

"As. You. Command. Ainz. Sama"

Cocytus presented a stack of paper to Ainz, who received it and immediately began reading it. Unlike the time with the Kashin Koji spy, this time Ainz read the papers carefully word by word. The amount of papers was less and this time he was not too pressed on time. Moreover, everything written there was very likely to be important for the future of Nazarick.

"Dark homing claws... I saw that once" "Oh, interesting. So he has another weapon with him. Something that is thrown and then temporarily acts as the caster. Truly intriguing"

The papers contained every info about Ryu's combat capabilities which Cocytus had witnessed during their spar. In addition to that, every little detail outside combat Cocytus had learned were written there too.

"So you're saying that you took quite a beating, and he was still holding back"

"Yes." "Although. I. Purposedly. Made. Myself. Full. Of. Openings. So. He. Had. Chances."

"Indeed, you have also written that here. And he realized that... Eh, what!?"

"What's. The. Matter. Ainz. Sama?"

"Ah, nothing. I just reached the part where you say that Ryu has a brother and a sister. He had never told me about that before"

Ainz continued reading the papers. He learned the fact that Ryu's brother and sister were equally strong like him, though with different classes.

"Ranger, and Samurai"

 _So samurai exists even in outer space_. _In any case, Yukasa and Hikaru... I better keep those names in mind._

"Cocytus"

"Yes. Ainz. Sama"

"You did a fine job. With this intelligence data, we are now several steps closer to uncovering how people from Ryu's origin fight, and therefore we will be more educated and prepared if, in worst case scenario, those people become hostile to us"

"I. Don't. Deserve. Such. Praise. After. Failing. My. Main. Mission."

"You have learned your lesson from that, so like I said it still has meaning. This is a different matter and you successfully did it"

"Thank. You. Ainz. Sama."

"You are dismissed. We will meet again tomorrow"

"Then. Please. Excuse. Me."

Cocytus stood up and left the room. Ainz leaned back to his seat with one hand still holding the papers. He sighed a little.

 _There could have been more data if I have asked the twins to pay close attention to his training back then, but oh well..._

If possible, Ainz did not want to end up in a situation where the data would be useful, but better be prepared than having nothing at all.

 _Now how should I reward him for giving me this data, although unwittingly?_

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Tomb of Nazarick, Throne Room, One Hour Past Sunrise**

Ryu and Lily had been summoned to the throne room. In front of them Ainz was sitting on the throne with Albedo at his side. Both Ryu and Lily kneeled to show respect.

"Rise up and hear the words of Supreme Lord Ainz Ooal Gown"

Ryu and Lily stood up.

"Ryu, as you already know, I am going to present you the results of your evaluation. But before that, do you have anything to say?"

"Only one thing"

Ryu then put his right hand into his coat and took the flight necklace from his photon inventory. He then presented the necklace to Ainz.

"I apologize for forgetting to return this after all this time"

"Oh, the necklace from back then. Alright then"

Ainz reached out his right hand, and the necklace floated away from Ryu's hand into Ainz's hand. He then opened a small portal and put the necklace into it.

"Back then we were in a hurry, so now I will tell you about that. It is a magic item containing Fly magic, which in this world is a third tier spell. It is quite strange that you were unable to use it"

"I just recently found out that I can use it, but it requires me to charge my mana into it"

"Oh, that's interesting. Magic item normally doesn't require anything from the user, and in most cases even a commoner without magic ability can use it. Well, in any case, thank you for finally remembering to return it"

Ryu felt a little uncomfortable. Ainz's last sentence sounded like a teasing. Was it intentional?

"Alright, back to the main topic. The verdict for your performance is..."

Ainz stopped talking as if he wanted to build up the atmosphere. Thankfully the silence only lasted for a few seconds.

"...Exceptional. Therefore I declare in the name of Ainz Ooal Gown that from this point you no longer owe me anything"

Hearing what Ainz had just said, Ryu was so delighted that he was starting to doubt if it was real. He believed that he had contributed almost nothing, but Ainz said otherwise.

"It seems you are having a hard time believing it. Let me just say that my judgement is not merely from the battle result alone"

"Thank you, Ainz-dono"

Ryu bowed in gratitude.

"I will be leaving this tomb for a while. Like before, do you want to stay here or be transported somewhere?"

"Since my work here is done, please send me back to E-Rantel like before"

"Alright then"

Ainz reached out his right hand, and a portal appeared near Ryu and Lily.

"Like before, the other end of the portal is the woods near the city. Good luck in your future endeavors, Ryu and Lily"

"Thank you, Ainz-dono"

Ryu walked to the portal, but then he suddenly stopped right in front of it.

"Ah, sorry! There's something else I forgot to return!"

Ryu hastily took something off from his hand. It was the ring given by Aura back then in the foxman forest.

"Oh, you can keep that ring. You never know if it will become useful again in the future"

"Really? Thank you again, Ainz-dono. If someday you need some extra help you can call us again"

"I will keep that in mind"

Ryu walked into the portal and disappeared from sight. Lily stood still for a moment and then she looked at Ainz.

"Bye, Papa!"

Right after that she quickly jumped into the portal, leaving Ainz sighing and Albedo smiling a little.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Dummy Nazarick, Noon, A Few Minutes Before Cocytus Go Into Battle Against Lizardman**

"The show is about to begin. Let's enjoy watching Cocytus in action"

Ainz and all guardians present in the room paid a close attention towards the large mirror hung on the wall. On the display they could see a few hundreds of lizardman warriors leaving the village.

"Anything unusual, Aura?"

"Nothing out of place, Ainz-sama!"

"Alright then"

Ainz observed the lizardman warriors some more. He could also notice a few that seemed to be more exceptional than the others, including the two who had come to him during the show of power event.

He also noticed a small wooden cart filled with dry leaves to the brim. One warrior was pushing it along with the crowd.

"He's probably a medic or something carrying medicinal herbs. Pity that he won't have anyone to rescue"

Ainz deduced that they prepared a conventional way to treat the wounded in case their magic caster would run out of mana to heal, so there was nothing weird about it.

"It is time. Show me what you are capable of, Cocytus"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

[Ice Pillar]

Two large pillars made from ice emerged between Cocytus and the lizardman warriors.

"This. Might. Be. Rude. To. Warriors. Who. Are. Ready. To. Give. Their. Lives." "But. I. Must. Inform. You. That. My. Side. Of. These. Pillars. Will. Be. Your. Grave." "Any. Who. Cross. It. Shall. Die."

The lizardman warriors seemed to discuss among themselves for a few moments. After that, most of them turned back and returned towards their village. A small wooden cart was left behind by them, and it just stood there motionless.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Cocytus"

One of the lizardman, seemingly the leader, said that. Cocytus gave them a hand gesture, signaling them to come.

"CHARGE!"

The warriors rushed at Cocytus. However, before they passed the ice pillars...

Something jumped from the wooden cart, rushed at Cocytus with incredible speed, abruptly stopped right in front of him, and did a series of blade slashes at him.

Cocytus, being caught by surprise, took the full brunt of the attack. The damage he had received was not much, but not something to be ignored either.

"A. Surprise. Attack?" "Impressive."

The thing that had attacked him retreated a bit. Cocytus finally got a full view of it.

To his surprise, it was not a lizardman.

It was a human, a rather short human girl. She wore a rather large dark red beret hat, and underneath that she had even darker red hair which was long, reaching down to her waist. Her outfit was a dark red long coat seemingly made of wool reaching about halfway through her thighs, and underneath the coat was a skintight suit with the color combination of white, dark orange, gray, and black, which covered her body from neck to just under her waist. She wore calf-length boots of the same color combination. Her weapon seemed to be a katana, which was now covered in the black scabbard. Her green eyes had a sharp gaze, the face of a fighter fully determined to fight.

"What. Is. A. Human. Doing. In. Lizardman. Village?"

"Let's just say that I owe them a bit and I'm going to repay them by defeating you!"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Who the hell is that!? Why didn't our surveillance notice her!?"

"Please forgive me, Ainz-sama! I was too focused on anyone coming from outside and not paying attention to anyone already inside!"

Aura frantically bowed to Ainz, feeling ashamed. Ainz looked at the human and knew very well that her outfit was too modern for this world's level of civilization. By all chances she might be a player like him.

[Message]

"Cocytus! Forget the battle! We're going in to aid you!"

"No! Wait! Ainz. Sama!"

"What!?"

"This. Is. Just. A. Single. Human. Fighter. Allying. With. The. Lizardman."

"So what?"

"We. Never. Forbid. Them. To. Bring. Reinforcements." "We. Must. Not. Break. Our. Promise."

Cocytus was right, however...

"To hell with promise and your warrior pride! I care more about your survival!"

"Please. Allow. Me. A. Minute. To. Have. A. Word. With. Her."

Ainz was about to deny the plea out of his panic, but his emotion override kicked in.

"...Alright, but the moment I see something off we all will jump in and kill her on the spot"

"Thank. You. Ainz. Sama"

"Guardians, be prepared for quick action when needed"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Who were you talking to? That skeleton dude?"

Cocytus felt uncomfortable hearing his supreme lord addressed as mere 'skeleton dude', but he had to keep his cool or things will turn to a mess.

"Please. Answer. My. Question." "Who. Are. You. And. Why. Are. You. Siding. With. The. Lizardman?"

The girl, still in battle stance, replied.

"Why should I answer that?"

"Please. Be. Aware. That. My. Supreme. Lord. Is. Watching." "The. Moment. He. Sees. Something. Off. He. And. All. His. Guardians. Will. Come. At. You. And. All. Lizardman. Behind. You." "Therefore. For. Everyone's. Safety. I. Highly. Recommend. You. To. Answer. Truthfully."

"Tch... Fine. My name is Rose. I was stranded and wounded, and they took care of me"

Rose put off her battle stance after saying that.

"Are. There. Other. Humans. With. You?"

"I'm the only one"

"I. See." "Then. The. Battle. Will. Continue. As. Planned." "If. You. Or. Any. Lizardman. Behind. You. Defeat. Me. My. Supreme. Lord. Will. Leave. You. Be."

Cocytus looked up.

"Do. You. Agree. Ainz. Sama?"

 **Beep! Beep!**

"Aura has not seen anything unusual. Continue the battle. Also, try to not kill that human if possible. I have questions I would like her to answer"

"Thank. You. For. Your. Approval. Ainz. Sama"

Cocytus looked at Rose.

"Are. You. Ready?"

Rose went into battle stance.

"Ready as you are"

"Come. At. Me."

A white mist came out from Cocytus' body, and the battle began.

Rose dashed forward like before, but with less speed. Cocytus prepared himself to deflect her attacks, but she stopped a fair distance out of their weapons' reach. She quickly pulled her katana out and slashed upwards at thin air.

"Hatou Rindou!"

A geyser-like energy shockwave came out from the ground in front of her and quickly advanced towards Cocytus while growing larger and larger.

Cocytus evaded to his left side, but the shockwave was already large enough to still hit him. He didn't take the full brunt of the attack but it still did some damage on him. Rose sheathed her katana while still in battle stance. It seemed that her fighting style was something similar to Iaido.

"Asagiri Rendan!"

Without wasting any more time, Rose dashed towards Cocytus and once again did a series of slashes with her katana. Though this time Cocytus was more prepared so he managed to defend against the attack. Once the series of slashes was over, he did a strike with his halberd. However...

Rose quickly sheathed her katana and blocked the strike completely with the scabbard. That shouldn't have been possible, but it happened with some kind of energy shield visible for a fraction of a second. The perfect blocking made Cocytus flinch, and Rose immediately counter-attacked with a single slash.

"Sakura-Endou!"

Rose did two wide diagonal slashes, making an 'X' with those slashes. A small part of Cocytus' armor chipped off. Cocytus attacked with his halberd, but once again the strike was blocked with the sheathed katana and countered.

"Shunka Shunran!"

Rose did a slower series of heavy slashes, four in total. The last strike was the most powerful. Another small part of Cocytus' armor chipped off.

Rose dashed away from Cocytus with high speed, and then she turned around and raised her katana pointing upwards. At this point it could be seen that the blade of her katana was of violet color. The katana shined brightly, and Cocytus knew that it was going to be a dangerous attack.

"Kazan... Nadeshiko!"

A towering energy blade, about at least twenty meters long, emerged from the katana and Rose did a vertical downward slash with it. The attack left a large long hole on the ground. Thankfully Cocytus evaded to the side, so he was unharmed by that attack. Cocytus looked at Rose and saw that the energy blade had disappeared so it probably only lasted for one strike.

"Impressive." "I. Must. Get. More. Serious."

Cocytus opened a small portal next to him and took the same long katana he had once shown to Ryu; God Slaying Emperor Blade.

"So you're capable of using a katana too, huh?"

"I. Am. The. Weapon. Master. Of. Nazarick." "I. Can. Use. Any. Weapon."

Cocytus charged at Rose and did a horizontal slash. Like before, Rose blocked it with the scabbard and did a counter slash. The damage from the counter slash was relatively minor, but it was annoying for Cocytus that so far none of his attacks managed to score a hit because of the strange blocking-and-countering move.

Therefore he tried something different.

He once again slashed with his sword, but right at the moment Rose raised her scabbard to block, he intentionally curved the direction of his slash, missing her completely. He then quickly and immediately did a second slash, and it was still blocked. However, there was no counter slash and Rose was pushed back by the force. Cocytus' feint slash seemed to be effective to prevent the perfect blocking.

"Ugh... A feint, huh?"

"I. Am. A. Warrior." "I. Learn. And. Adapt. To. Your. Moves."

"Hatou Rindou!"

Rose unleashed the shockwave attack again, but this time Cocytus didn't evade. Instead, he made a horizontal slash which created a crescent-shaped shockwave. Both Rose's and Cocytus' shockwave clashed, creating a dirt explosion.

Not wasting any time, Cocytus dashed at Rose and did a horizontal slash similar to his feint before. Rose, thinking that it was another feint, delayed her blocking. But Cocytus saw her intention and quickly did a straight punch to the stomach with one of his free arms.

It was a clean hit. Rose was thrown back by the force, and she rolled all the way to the spectating lizardman warriors. She was still awake, but she coughed blood as she slowly tried to stand up.

"I. Must. Have. Broken. Some. Bones." "It. Seems. You. Are. Out. Of. The. Battle. Now."

One of the lizardman warriors approached the pained Rose and reached his hand.

"Minor Cure Wounds"

A green light covered Rose, and her condition seemed to be stabilize.

"You have done well. Now leave it to us"

"But..."

"From the beginning, our lives are not worth dying for"

Without saying anything further, the lizardman walked forward and faced Cocytus.

"Cocytus. Would you honor my, Shasuryu Sasha, request for you to let the human girl live?"

"I. Will. At. Least. See. If. I. Can. Convince. My. Supreme. Lord."

"Thank you"

Shasuryu then looked at all the warriors behind him. All of them nodded, and he nodded too.

"CHARGE!"

"Oooooh!"

The lizardman warriors charged at Cocytus, and their battle began.

And then the battle ended quickly with all the lizardman warriors dead by his hands.

"That. Was. An. Impressive. Battle."

Cocytus walked forward to see Rose's condition and also take her to Ainz. However, something was off when he saw her.

She was standing still, her outfit being different than before. She now no longer wore her beret hat. Her top had changed to a dark red blazer with a bow ribbon on her neck. Underneath the unbuttoned blazer was a greenish grey shirt. She wore a pleated short skirts with frills at its end, and she wore a simple pair of black boots with similar frills at their top end.

Her face clearly showed that she was mourning, with tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Why... did this have to happen?"

Cocytus did not speak. He decided to be careful about his actions.

"They were just living their lives, and you... all of you... just trampled on them like that"

Cocytus was still silent.

"I... will not... forgive you..."

Rose reached out forward with her right hand, and something appeared with a flicker of light. It was a violet colored rod-like weapon with a magic circle constantly twirling at its head. Rose grabbed the weapon and held it straight at Cocytus.

"Do. You. Still. Wish. To. Fight. Rose?"

"I am not Rose. My name is Meru, and **I will kill you all** "

Right after saying that, the rod vomitted out five claws of dark energy which homed in on Cocytus.

Seeing what just happened, it dawned on Cocytus.

This human girl definitely came from the same origin as Ryu.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **I am aware that Cocytus acted a little out of character, but I couldn't think of another way to prevent Ainz and all guardians from jumping into the battle and making the duel a total curbstomp. Sorry about that.**

 **So yeah, I have decided to add a new ARKS character. She is the character I played as in the Japan server of the game, and her name is Mel Rose. Her backstory setting I thought up for her is that she has double personality. Her complete backstory and her character sheet will be provided in a later chapter.**

 **As about how each of her personality looks like, here's a link: (as usual you have to replace dot with actual dot and remove the spaces)**

 **sta dot sh/220rl2a1s1uo**


	22. Chapter 19: Enemy or Ally

**Hi, all! Author here again!**

 **I'd like to tell you that the gallery I posted in the previous chapter has been updated to add more visuals. If you have difficulties with the link (This site doesn't help at all in that matter), feel free to tell me. I will be glad to help you.**

 **sta dot sh/220rl2a1s1uo**

 **Here is the next chapter. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"What the hell...?"

That was the only thing coming out from Ainz's mouth when he witnessed the thing happening in the mirror's display. Those five claws of dark energy spell was clearly the same as Ryu's spell. That could only mean one thing; That girl came from the same place as Ryu.

"This is an unexpected turn of events"

Ainz fully agreed with Demiurge's remark. The lizardman tribes being aided by an outsider was already unexpected, but the helper being strong enough to fight toe to toe with Cocytus, and also turning out to be another space army member like Ryu made it even more unexpected. Only a crazy prepared madman would expect this kind of scenario.

To make matters worse, now he had to deal with a hostile member of the space army. Even though he had tried his best to prepare for this kind of scenario, he had not expected it to happen this soon. Moreover, if Ryu later decided to side with his fellow member the absolute worst case scenario would inevitably happen.

Thankfully, thanks to the knowledge from the recent secret mission, Cocytus was still holding well in the ongoing fight. However, the outcome of the battle was still uncertain.

"I want to hear a quick suggestion about what we should do"

"Killing her and erasing her corpse from existense is the simplest way, but we won't gain any new information from her, and there is still a chance that we will be found out by the people from her origin"

"I would prefer to not killing anyone if there's no clear benefit to be gained, Demiurge. And the disadvantage of that action is as clear as you said"

"Ainz-sama, how about trying to gain her favor and make her our ally like Ryu?"

"That is easier said than done because we're off from a very bad start, Albedo. Though indeed if we somehow can do that it is the most ideal outcome"

"P-Pardon me. How about we summon Ryu and see what he would say?"

"I was about to do that, Mare. But I fear that Ryu might end up siding with her, and our work of making him our ally so far would just go to waste"

None of the visible options so far were guaranteed to provide their best outcome. But once again Ainz reminded himself that risk must be taken to go forward.

[Message]

"Cocytus. Try to stall the battle as long as you can. We will do something on our end to address this turn of events"

"Understood. Ainz. Sama"

Without wasting any more time, Ainz casted another Message spell. It would be the easiest to target Ryu, but Ainz had tested it several times and somehow the spell had never managed to connect to Ryu.

Therefore, his target was Lily.

"Lily"

"What?" "Ah, nothing, Ryu-san. I thought I heard Ainz-dono's voice"

It was clear that Lily still had no knowledge of Message spell yet. But at least it gave Ainz the information that Ryu was together with Lily.

"Lily. I am using a messaging magic to call you. Tell me where you are right now"

"Ah, we're in our room at the inn. The same one we were using when you summoned us"

"Something urgent just came up. I need both of you to come here. I will conjure the portal shortly"

"Alright, Ainz-dono. We will be there!"

Ainz ended the Message spell.

[Gate]

A dark portal appeared in front of Ainz, and within seconds both Ryu and Lily came out from it in a hurry.

"What's happening?"

"The lizardman has an outsider helping them, and it seems the helper is from the same origin as yours"

"What!?"

Ryu was naturally very surprised hearing the news. Ainz looked at the mirror hung on the wall, and Ryu took the hint. He also looked at the mirror, and he saw the ongoing battle between Cocytus and the outsider.

"Do you know her, Ryu?"

"Not at all. Can we stop the battle and reason with her?"

"Unfortunately, she sided with the lizardman and now she has determined herself to kill us all starting from Cocytus. Unless you have a better idea, we will have no choice but to kill her in self defense"

"No, please don't. Could you instead incapacitate and take her prisoner in that case?"

Ainz felt strange hearing Ryu's suggestion. Ryu had decided that too easily despite likely knowing that even with Cocytus' best effort to avoid dealing fatal damage, his fellow space soldier would be harmed.

 _Come to think of it, I have never asked about how close their bonds are in the army. I have been only focusing on their combat capability_.

"Are you sure about that? Your fellow people will be harmed despite the best effort from Cocytus"

"If the only other choice is killing her, so be it"

"Alright then"

[Message]

"Cocytus, incapacitate her and bring her to me"

"Understood."

The Message spell ended, and Ainz continued watching the battle through the mirror. This was the first time he saw a serious battle between a guardian and one of the space army members, so he thought that he should gather info as much as he could.

"Ryu, what do you say about her? Do you think she is stronger or weaker than you?"

"I can't gauge it from here, but there's something that has my attention"

"What is it?"

"Her weapon. I have never seen anything like that"

"You know nothing about it?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure, but if I don't know about it then it might be a twelve star weapon"

 _Twelve star? Is that their way of categorizing item value?_

"I think you need to explain how that works in your origin"

"Our equipment is tiered with star amount according to our rank and feats we have achieved. one to three stars are pretty much training equipment. Four to six stars are generally greenhorn equipment. Seven to nine stars are for intermediate operatives. Ten star is for high ranked ones. Eleven star is for those among the best, and twelve star is for the outstanding ones. I think only one in ten thousand can get their hands on a twelve star"

Ainz listened to Ryu's explanation intently. If the girl's weapon was indeed twelve star like Ryu said, it would mean that the little girl was stronger than Ryu. Ainz felt very strange once again, seeing that a little girl like her could be stronger than Ryu who looked like a man in mid 30s.

"For reference, this rod of mine, Weddle Park, is eleven star"

Ryu drew out his purple rod weapon while saying that. He then reached his free hand into his coat and pulled a large feather. Could it be the feather described in Kashin Koji's report?

"And this talis, Gal Wind, is twelve star. The only twelve star I have"

 _What?_

"Ryu. You told me that you are just a regular operative without special achievements, yet you have a twelve star weapon?"

"I just got lucky in a major battle. I don't consider it a real achievement worth mentioning"

 _This guy is way too humble it feels annoying to me._

"Anyway, does that mean that girl is stronger than you?"

"Maybe, but so far her movements seem a little sloppy, and she has been mostly only spamming Gimegid with the talis she just recently changed into"

Ainz couldn't help but agree. So far the girl has been mostly only summoning small dark clouds which shot dark lasers to Cocytus, and he always evaded successfully. Sometimes she summoned dark claws from the so-called talis weapon, which seemed to belong to the same visual theme as the rod she had previously used. Cocytus easily intercepted all the claws with the God Slaying Emperor Blade. At this rate Cocytus would surely win.

Cocytus was about to strike at the girl, but suddenly she was covered in an energy barrier, and therefore Cocytus' attack was deflected.

"Oh, Photon Blast"

"You don't say!"

Ainz knew that very well already. The image of the energy barrier and the calamity that follows had been drilled into his mind ever since that time. Probably Cocytus knew it as well, but better safe than sorry.

[Message]

"Cocytus! It's a Photon Blast! Get out of there!"

Without saying anything, Cocytus jumped back and kept his distance. He readied himself to run away if the thing about to come out really was the same Photon Beast as the one Ryu had summoned once.

But it was different.

When the barrier disappeared, the beast which appeared near the girl was shaped like a skeletal floating fish, although with the same glimmering white color theme as Ryu's Photon Beast.

"Oh, most likely Ketos Proi. It's harmless"

The floating fish circled around and above the girl, and she was covered in blue energy.

"Yeah, it's Ketos Proi"

"Tell me about it, Ryu"

"Ketos Proi is a support type. It gradually heals allies within range and hugely boosts their mana regeneration, to the point that you can pretty much consider your mana always full if it is active"

"Is it rare?"

"Like my Julius Nifta, Ketos Proi is among the most common"

 _Now I have to worry about the possibility of a bunch of soldiers who can turn huge areas into craters and then spam their spells like there's no tomorrow. Not to mention the things which rarer beast are capable of doing, whatever they are..._

As expected from Ryu's description, the girl spammed the dark claw spell like there was no tomorrow. Even though Cocytus could handle those claws, a large swarm of those claws got his hands full. She also added the dark laser swarm spell inbetween, and inevitably Cocytus was unable to completely avoid taking damage.

Still, Ainz knew the fortitude of Warrior Takemikazuchi's creation. Despite parts of the exoskeleton having been chipped off, Ainz knew that Cocytus' HP was still more than 70%. The girl would eventually tire out soon and he would grasp victory.

However, something strange happened.

Right after the floating fish disappeared, the girl put her weapon behind her back and spread her arms. Her feet left the ground and she floated about ten centimeters from the ground. An energy ball of fire appeared on her left hand, and a dark energy ball appeared on her right hand. Cocytus was still swarmed by the claws so he didn't notice her yet.

"Ryu, what is she going to do?"

"I don't know. I have never seen something like that"

Ryu's answer put Ainz's brain into overdrive. If Ryu didn't know what it was, then it would highly likely be a special trump card only a select few could use, and highly likely to be stronger than Ryu's Photon Blast.

[Message]

"Cocytus! Look out!"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Cocytus had just slashed the last dark claw into oblivion when suddenly he received a Message from Ainz, telling him to look out. He immediately looked at Meru and noticed that she was very likely to be preparing a dangerous attack. Cocytus wanted to interrupt her casting, but he knew that it was already too late.

Meru clapped her hands, making the two energy balls collide and made a little energy burst.

Cocytus opened a portal next to him and reached his free hand into it.

Meru's hands were enveloped in energy of combined colors between fire red and dark purple.

Cocytus pulled a huge tower shield almost as big as himself. The shield was gaudy with the ornaments around its edge and turtle shell pattern on its surface. It also had spikes at its bottom.

Meru raised her arms above her head as if she was about to throw what she had to Cocytus.

At the same time, Cocytus raised the tower shield above his head as if he was about to slam it to the ground.

"Fomelgion!"

Meru put her arms straight towards Cocytus, emitting a large laser of red and purple color.

Cocytus slammed the shield straight on the ground in front of him, planting the spikes firmly into the ground. He took cover behind the shield right as the beam hit it.

The shield created some kind of energy vortex on its surface, which then absorbed the laser beam harmlessly. Four seconds later the laser beam stopped and Cocytus was not harmed at all.

The shield was a Relic Class Item with a special ability to nullify frontal elemental damage. However, the tradeoff was that it had to be planted on the ground and held tightly with two hands to function, effectively making the user a sitting duck against flanking attacks. Moreover, once planted it couldn't be uprooted for twenty seconds. Cocytus, having four arms, had an advantage that he could make full use of the shield while still being able to use his remaining two arms, although he still wouldn't be able to move from his position.

Meru fell to one knee and panted heavily. It seemed the laser beam spell took a great toll on her stamina. Cocytus, not going to waste the opportunity, let go of the shield and charged at her. Ainz had told him to knock her out, but it would be difficult to measure the amount of force needed to knock her out without accidentally killing her. Therefore, he tried an alternative. He pointed his katana on Meru's face.

"Do. You. Admit. Your. Loss?"

Meru looked at Cocytus, still with her mourning face.

"I... I can never... forgive you... for... trampling on the lives of others..."

Cocytus didn't budge from his position.

"Therefore... I will never stop fighting! I will protect them! Even if I die, I will go down fighting!"

Meru jumped back and went into battle stance. It was pretty clear from her face that she was afraid and also running out of steam. She knew that she couldn't win, but she still stood her ground.

"I. Am. Impressed. By. Your. Resolve."

Cocytus' gamble was a failure, but he indeed was truly impressed by this little girl's resolve to protect the lizardman people. He went back into battle stance, knowing that the fight would be tricky to end without killing her.

However...

"Stop! Stop the fight! Please!"

A voice of a female screamed from behind Meru. Both Cocytus and Meru looked at the source, and they both saw that it was the white female lizardman. She was frantically running towards Meru, but then she stumbled and fell down into the wet marsh.

"Crusch-san!"

Meru dropped her battle stance and ran to the lizardman. Cocytus had never heard her name before, so for now he would trust Meru's word that her name was Crusch. He dropped his battle stance as well, not intending to interrupt them.

Meru dropped to one knee beside Crusch, trying to pick her up. For some reason Crusch seemed physically weak now.

"We lost! Please stop the fighting!"

Crusch pleaded to Cocytus, seemingly desperate. Tears were flowing from her eyes. Cocytus just stood there silent, waiting on how the event would unfold without his words.

"But I can't let this happen to you, your people. I just can't..."

"My heart is already broken from losing my beloved. If this is the fate of our people then so be it... I don't want you to get caught in it... Please... don't break my heart further..."

Crusch hugged Meru, and both of them cried silently. Cocytus just stood still and silently watched. One minute later, Crusch looked at Cocytus and pleaded.

"Please let her live! She is just a kindhearted wanderer who wanted to help our people! She never had anything to do with us!"

"Unfortunately. Our. Supreme. Lord. Has. Taken. An. Interest. In. Her." "I. Am. Obliged. To. Take. Her. To. Him."

Hearing that, Meru stood up and faced Cocytus. Her face showed a lot of worry.

"If... If I go with you... will you let the people live? Please...?"

She said that while shivering from her worries. It seemed pretty weird for Cocytus because Meru's attitude was very different from Rose who could nonchalantly address Ainz as 'skeleton dude' and talk to him casually. Were they two different persons in the same physical body? Nevertheless, Cocytus gave her a proper answer.

"It. Is. Not. For. Me. To. Decide." "All. Decisions. Are. For. Our. Supreme. Lord. To. Make."

"Let me come too! I will beg for his mercy if need be!"

"Hmm..."

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ainz deactivated the Mirror of Remote Viewing. It was pretty clear that the white lizardman had convinced the girl to stop fighting, so at least now one problem was down. But now Ainz still didn't have any idea what to do when she arrived here.

"Ryu"

"Yes?"

"I want you to tell me what you would do if that girl later decides to remain hostile to me"

What Ainz feared was the chance that Ryu might naturally team up with his fellow ARKS member. If that happened things would become very complicated. Nazarick forces would easily dispose of only two, but if someday the news spread to the entire ARKS, there's no telling about what they would do.

The best outcome of that scenario would be that the two operatives were considered as gone rogue and Nazarick would be left alone without further complications. The worst outcome would be the entire ARKS going hostile to Nazarick, and everything would go to a mess no matter what happens next. If Nazarick lost, they would perish. If Nazarick somehow won, there would be nobody to stop Darkers and Dark Falzes out there from freely going on a rampage and eventually reach this planet, and Nazarick would perish.

 _Is there any way to avoid that kind of situation?_

In the middle of Ainz's confusion, Ryu gave his answer.

"That has nothing to do with me"

 _What?_

"Hoo, I have been assuming that ARKS members have close bonds or something"

"Not really. The old thoughts of having close bonds with comrades are never drilled into our mind, so we are still pretty much regular civilian at heart. Well, there are special cases, but if we're talking generally, that's the way it goes"

"Interesting. Also, do you know anything about why a little girl like her could be an ARKS member, and seemingly a strong one?"

Ryu was silent for a few seconds.

"Well, you see, ARKS gets new members with conscription based on one thing only; Photon Aptitude. If someone has Photon Aptitude, they will be conscripted. On the other hand, even if someone highly aspires to be an ARKS, if they have no Photon Aptitude, they won't ever be accepted. Photon Aptitude test is compulsory when someone reaches a certain age, which I forgot but rather young for sure"

 _Almost sounds like an evil megacorp._

Ainz listened intently. It seemed that ARKS as a whole had quite a strange morality, leaning to be a little rough in Ainz's mind.

"This is just an ongoing rumor, but I heard that those who refuse conscription will be brainwashed, turned into CAST, and conscripted anyway. Oh, instead of CAST, maybe you're more familiar with the term half puppet with limited free will"

 _Alright, evil megacorp confirmed_. _But then again, if their adversary is a bunch of planet-eating monsters they might be desperate. In any case..._

"Do you want to converse with her?"

"I would like to, but it may be hard if she doesn't see you in good light and if she thinks I'm on your side"

"Are you, Ryu?"

"There are some things I can't agree with you, like this genocidal invasion. But you have your own reason and I won't meddle with that. I still consider you a fairly good person. So yeah, I'm on your side for now"

 _My karma is full negative yet he still sees me as a good person? Ah, those numbers are just game stats in the end._

"Oh, yeah. You haven't been told yet that the plan has changed. Our objective now is to colonize them and then use them as a test for our ability to govern people without fear and oppresion"

"Still not something I'm a fan of, but at least more acceptable"

"In any case, she will be here shortly. Let me handle it for now and wait in a nearby room. Aura, escort them there"

"Right away, Ainz-sama!"

Ryu, Lily, and Aura then left the throne room of Fake Nazarick. One minute later Aura returned, and three more minutes later Cocytus arrived with the girl and the white lizardman. Ainz had already prepared himself by sitting on the throne looking important, while the rest of the guardians stood at the side of the room.

Both the girl and the lizardman looked afraid while they slowly walked forward with Cocytus behind them. All three of them stopped at a fair distance from the throne.

"What is the lizardman doing here? I believe I have only told you to bring the human girl, Cocytus"

"She. Insisted. To. Come. Along."

"Well then, come forward. State your name and the reason behind your action"

Ainz said that while looking at the white lizardman. The white lizardman stepped forward, and then she kneeled in front of Ainz.

"I am Crusch Lulu, oh Supreme Overlord of Death, Ainz Ooal Gown-sama. I am here to humbly beg you to grant mercy to the human girl who got caught in our situation by misfortune"

"Misfortune you say? She could have just fled the scene, yet she chose to side with your people and fight. I can't just simply let that go, no? Do you have anything to say against that?"

Crusch just went silent.

"Nevertheless, I don't need your presence here for now. Aura, escort her to a vacant room"

"Right away, Ainz-sama!"

Aura immediately escorted Crusch away from the throne room. For a split second Crusch's eyes and the human girl's eyes met, looking very worried to each other. One minute later Aura returned and stood at her previous position.

"Now, step forward and state your name"

The girl, looking afraid, slowly stepped forward. She then stopped and dropped on one knee.

"M-My name... is Meru"

"Stand up. There is no need for you to kneel"

"E-Eh?"

Despite looking confused, she immediately stood up.

"Welcome to Nazarick, Meru of ARKS"

Meru looked very surprised the moment Ainz said the word 'ARKS'. Suddenly, her clothes changed to the previously seen outfit with a flicker of light.

"How did you know about ARKS?"

Her speech suddenly sounded confident. Did the change of clothes also changed her personality?

"Rose." "You. Are. Rose. Aren't. You?"

"Yeah, Meru won't be able to handle this so thank god I managed to take over"

Ainz sensed that Albedo would soon scold her for her attitude, so he raised his left hand, signaling her and everyone else there to stay silent.

"I think first you need to explain yourself, Meru or Rose or whatever"

"I am Rose, and the other me is Meru. As a whole, our name is Mel Rose"

 _Is this a case of split personality?_

Ainz, as Suzuki Satoru, had heard about split personality cases happening around him. The amount of such cases seemed to be on the rise compared to the distant past, and in the majority of cases the person having such thing has had a traumatic past experience.

 _What kind of things has this young girl been through?_

With the condition of the girl in front of him and the recent info from Ryu, Ainz couldn't help thinking that ARKS was much worse than what he had been thinking all this time. Conscripting such a young girl, and probably putting her into traumatic experience to create such a super soldier...

 _I can understand that they might be desperate, but this is going too far._

"Hey, you're spacing out, aren't you?"

Rose said that with smug face and folded arms. Ainz could sense some teeth grinding nearby, probably from watching such act of disrespect, but he ignored them and spoke.

"So, there are two of you there. Are you able to switch at will?"

"I'm not sure. It seems there is some kind of restriction we still don't know. Both of us can mentally agree to switch, but whether we would actually switch or not is still inconsistent"

"So you're saying that you can mentally converse with your other self? Also, is your other self aware of everything you see and hear?"

"Yes, and yes, and it applies both ways. So, is it enough? How about answering my question?"

Ainz felt somewhat refreshed. This was the first time someone that was not from Nazarick spoke to him, Ainz Ooal Gown, without restraint or formal respect. So far only Lily and Pandora's Actor would talk to him this way, but both of them were from Nazarick. Having a total outsider spoke to him like this was a new experience.

Still, he had to once again signal the guardians on the side to hold their fury and teeth grinding.

"I met an ARKS member recently. He was stranded and confused so I gave him shelter for a while. Cocytus over there, he sparred with him once"

Rose looked at Cocytus behind her, who gave her a slight nod.

"I bet this guy is a Force class like Meru, isn't he? No wonder Meru had a hard time. Anyway, what's going to happen now? Am I your prisoner or something?"

"It depends on your choice"

Ainz stood up from his throne and stepped forward to Rose.

"If you choose to ally with us, I will welcome you as an honored guest. I will provide help for anything within my capabilities and further information about this world, though I might require a fair exchange in return. Also, I will meet you up with the ARKS member I told you about"

Ainz stopped to clear his nonexistent throat.

"However, if you choose to remain hostile to us, I will demand you to get out of our sight to a place we will never find you. Keep in mind that our network is growing wide and I can teleport anywhere in this world"

 _Well, not that wide yet, but I hope this bluff will make her pick the first choice._

Without saying anything, Rose touched her left ear with her left hand, seemingly checking something.

"That ARKS guy is nearby, isn't he?"

Ainz was surprised. He had no idea how Rose found out the fact that Ryu was also here in this building. Thankfully his skeletal face being expressionless hid his surprise.

"Well, I told you that I would meet you up with him, didn't I? I have prepared for when you pick the first option, but it seems you found that out somehow"

"Before I make my choice, I want to know your motives behind this invasion"

"I wish to make the lizardman tribes prosper under my flag"

"If that is the reason, what was all the killing for? You could have just sent an envoy or something"

"I have my own objectives which I don't want to disclose"

Rose was silent for a short while. Maybe she was mentally discussing with Meru.

"We still can't really trust you, but alright. We are no longer enemies. For now"

"An excellent choice"

"But keep in mind that I might change my mind later depending on what I will find out about you"

"I hope you won't. It would be a waste"

"Hmph!"

"So, would you like to meet your fellow ARKS member now? My subordinate will escort you there"

"I know where he is, so I will walk there myself. Now, if you excuse me"

"Go ahead"

Rose then nonchalantly turned around and walked to the door. When she was passing Cocytus, who looked pretty beaten up from the recent battle, she took something from her pocket and threw it to Cocytus.

"Here, drink that"

Cocytus caught the thing thrown by Rose. It was a bottle which looked like a sports drink container. Without saying anything further, Rose walked away from the room.

Cocytus, while still holding the bottle, looked at Ainz. Ainz realized that Cocytus was seeking approval from him.

"I highly doubt it is poison. Even if it is poison, you are immune to such thing. Go drink it and see what happens"

Cocytus nodded and drank the contents of the bottle. A green light suddenly covered Cocytus, and within a second his body looked as good as new.

"Hoo, interesting. It looks like Ryu's healing spell packed in a bottle"

"Ainz-sama. I am truly impressed"

Ainz looked at Albedo, the one who had just spoke.

"What?"

"Despite all her acts of disrespect, you didn't budge or show any hostility towards her. None of us could even imagine being able to endure such... atrocity. Even watching it happening in front of us was already a great deal of agony!"

Demiurge then added to Albedo's words.

"As expected of Ainz-sama. Your cunning play of action and words have made her suppress her hostility towards us. Especially at the beginning"

 _What? What of it?_

Demiurge continued in the middle of Ainz's internal confusion.

"By immediately telling her to stand up, Ainz-sama made a point to her that unlike the lizardman, Your Excellency consider her as a special guest of better standing, and thus showing your hospitality and lack of ill intent. Also, immediately showing the knowledge of her origin made her curious and therefore she forgot her hostility for a moment, and it was further reinforced by generously giving her a chance to escape. Despite the rather unexpected turn of events afterwards, Ainz-sama, you kept your calm and spoke with unmatched smoothness. I can't help but thinking that you have been prepared for that kind of scenario. I am truly humbled by your supreme mind"

 _What the hell with that praise? I better don't tell them..._

"Ahh, yes. That is correct. Anyway, it's time to go back to our main topic. Step forward, Cocytus"

"Yes. Ainz. Sama"

And thus, in the throne room of Fake Nazarick, Ainz and the guardians discussed about the next step of their plan for colonizing the lizardman tribes.

Ainz would never tell anyone, that the real reason he had told Meru to stand up, was because Meru's skirt was so short her panties were in full view when she was kneeling on one knee like how she had done it.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Alright, with this volume 4 has been caught up. Next in line is volume 8 which chronologically happens between volume 4 and volume 5.**

 **This chapter was supposed to be longer, but the conversation between Ryu and Rose ended up exposition-heavy and might be too tiring to read, so I decided to cut the chapter at this point and save it for the Intermission chapter coming next.**

 **A little pre-emptive Q &A. Feel free to ask more questions if you like. I will answer them in next chapter.**

* * *

 **Q: Is Meru/Rose stronger than Ryu?**

 **A: Yes, in terms of damage output. But she is still inexperienced so her combat maneuvers are still unpolished. Also, her setup is full offensive so she can't even take a single hit from someone of Nazarick guardian level. Average new world combatants and monsters still won't even scratch her, though.**

* * *

 **Q: Hold on, you say she is inexperienced but she possesses twelve star weapons. How come?**

 **A: Twelve star weapons are given out like candy in her origin. More details on that later.**

* * *

 **Q: Is Meru/Rose going to be added to Ryu's party?**

 **A: I will answer that in the next chapter. Stay tuned for that.**

* * *

 **Q: So ARKS is an evil megacorp. Will you get further on that?**

 **A: More like corrupted, but not all of their staffs are like that. Still can't help it if their chairman is a madman, though. It's a PSO2 lore so I most likely won't dig further into that. This is an Overlord fanfiction after all.**


	23. Chapter 20: Separation

**Hi again!**

 **The intermission chapter turned out to be quite longer than it should and didn't feel like an intermission, so I decided to post it as Chapter 20, acting as the epilogue of Volume 4.**

 **See you again in the afterword**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ryu and Lily were standing around waiting in an empty room inside Fake Nazarick. The room had four chairs surrounding a small table, and it didn't have any window. But the room was sufficiently bright because of a magical lighting installed there.

"She's coming"

Ryu knew that the ARKS girl would come soon because his communication device picked up her position as a reaction to the same function the girl had recently used to pick up his position. The device also picked up the conversation happening starting from that point, but there was not much info gained other than the girl strangely talking easily and ended up seemingly becoming an uneasy ally for now.

"The coming conversation might be hard to follow for you, Lily. Sorry about that"

"No worries, Ryu-san. I will just be silent"

Soon, the door clicked and opened. Ryu was a little confused seeing the girl wearing a different outfit than before. Without saying anything she closed the door and dropped down crouching on the floor with a big sigh.

"Whew, that was tiring"

"Are you alright, uh..."

"Mel Rose, but just call me Rose. And you are...?"

"Ryu Seika, Ryu for short"

"Which ship?"

"002: Ur"

"005: Laguz"

After mentioning the name of the ship she was from, Rose stood up and noticed Lily. She approached Lily, who just stood still looking a bit uneasy.

"Is this your Support Partner?"

"In a way, yes. But not the one you know of. Her name is Lily"

"Figures. Her size looks normal. So Lily is from this place?"

"Yes"

Support Partner was the term for an artificial life form issued to each ARKS operative to work as their assistant. They were very humanlike, but their general size was only about 60% of normal human. Being artificial, they had little to no free will. Ryu knew very well that his Support Partner had definitely perished along with many other people on Ur.

"I'm gonna assume it's fine to talk about everything in front of her since the ones back there know a lot already. So what's the deal with that skeleton dude? Is he an evil overlord or something?"

"I don't know much, but at least I know he is not truly evil"

"I will take that with a grain of salt"

Ryu wanted to ask a question, but he noticed the weapon strapped behind Rose's back.

"Katana? You're a Braver?"

"Yes, with Fighter sub class"

"What? But you were Force when I saw you back then"

"It's a complicated story which I don't want to tell anyone. In short, I have someone else inside me and we sometimes switch place. She is a Force with Techer sub"

"Alright... I will go with that..."

Ryu felt confused about her condition since normally nobody would be able to change photon alignment without the assistance of a dedicated ARKS staff, but since Rose was determined to not talk there would be no use trying to inquire further.

"By the way, Rose. I have never seen your weapon before"

"What? Seriously? They have been giving this like candy, you know"

Rose said that with cynical face and tone, but Ryu was more surprised by the fact he just heard.

"It's a twelve star weapon, right? And you say they're giving it like candy?"

"Two years ago they found a way to easily mass produce high quality weapons. Twelve star weapons are not special anymore. Well, even thirteen star is getting more and more commonplace"

"But before Ur got destroyed and I got stranded on this planet twelve star weapons were still very rare, and that was still less than a month ago"

"I say you're really confused. Ur has never been destroyed"

"What?"

"You said Ur is Ship 002, didn't you? Ships from 001 to 010 are well known for always managing to survive times of crisis for years, and I have never heard any news of that streak getting broken"

"But I was there. I remember the chaos, the alarms loudly blaring, the hull of the ship failing. There's no way that it was not true"

"Either you're confused like I said, or there's some crazier explanation such as we coming from a different, parallel universe"

"Let's stop at that. There's no more to gain for continuing this topic"

Ryu sat down on a nearby chair. Rose followed by sitting down on another chair. Lily just silently sat down on another chair.

"So how exactly did you got here?"

"Assuming that I remember correctly, I evacuated myself from Ur with a Gate Ship, which is now missing. I don't remember anything else, though. How about you?"

"Warp accident. My Gate Ship also went missing after dropping me on the ground"

"So... both of us are stuck here on this planet for a while I guess"

"Yep, better get used to the absence of technology and an evil overlord on the loose"

"If I may ask, you seem to be holding a grudge against Ainz"

"Why wouldn't I? The lizardman were the ones providing me treatment, food and shelter when that warp accident left me badly wounded on the ground! Now many of them are dead and he is going to make them suffer more!"

Rose's hands were clenched and trembling. It was pretty clear that she was very upset.

"Are you sure about that last part?"

"What else would happen to anyone living under the grasp of an obviously evil skeleton creature like that?"

"Sorry, Rose, but I'm gonna stop you there. A prejudice based on first impression almost never ends up correct. Let me tell you that he once saved a village from being massacred"

"One good deed doesn't make it okay for the thing he has done in front of my eyes"

"Yeah, I know my argument is weak. My point is that you should try to get to know him better"

"I seriously think that you might have been mind-controlled by him. That filthy creature"

Ryu felt upset by Rose's attitude. However, he also was fully aware that his position was at a huge disadvantage to make any kind of argument.

But suddenly...

 **SLAP!**

Lily suddenly stood up and gave Rose a slap in the face. Rose probably didn't even feel any pain because of her photon armor, but the slap seemed to surprise her anyway. Ryu himself was also surprised by Lily's sudden action.

"What's the big idea!?"

"Don't... you dare... **to talk bad about my father!** "

Lily said that with angry and teary eyes. Rose seemed surprised hearing that.

"W-What? Your father?"

"Lily, please sit down and calm down"

Without saying anything, Lily returned to her chair and sat down. She still glared at Rose while doing that. Ryu put that aside for now and began speaking.

"Ainz created Lily, and he considers her as one of his children. This is actually new for me, but it seems..."

Ryu looked at Lily.

"...you also consider him your father and love him, don't you Lily?"

"Yes! I love him very much as my father, Ryu-san! I'm very sorry about my action, but I just couldn't..."

Lily replied still with an upset face pointed to Rose. Ryu felt quite strange because he himself had been considering Lily as a daughter, but somehow it was Ainz who ended up being considered as father by Lily.

 _Why do I feel like I have lost...? Ah, this is going to be bad in any case._

Ryu was never prepared if Lily and Rose got into a bad relationship. Judging from Rose's attitude so far, she would insult Lily even more after knowing this.

However...

She instantly changed her outfit back into the one Ryu had seen, then she kneeled on one knee in front of Lily and held Lily's hand with both hands, her face no longer showing any vexation, and instead she looked really worried. Lily herself got surprised by this.

"I'm really sorry that Rose hurt you. Please forgive her, she's just very upset right now"

"W-What? What is going on here?"

Lily couldn't hide her surprise.

"I-I am Meru. It's difficult to explain, but Rose and I... are two in one body"

Ryu needed a few seconds to let things sink in.

"So that was what she meant. I have never seen anything like this"

Lily seemed to be still flustered.

"M-Meru-san, you don't have to do this. Please go back to your chair"

"No, I have to. I need to apologize for what Rose has said"

Lily seemed to be blushing looking at Meru.

"Alright, alright. Apology accepted. Now go back to your chair"

"Really? Thank you so much, Lily!"

Meru was delighted hearing it from Lily, but she was still not moving from her position yet. Lily's face seemed to become more red than before.

"Meru, just go back to your seat"

Lily then leaned over to Meru and whispered a sentence which Ryu couldn't hear.

" _Your panties are in my full view"_

Meru was silent for one second, then she looked below and her face also became red in an instant.

"Aah!"

She jumped back and held her skirt down at the front. With her face still red and looking flustered, she looked at Ryu.

"D-Did you see...?"

"See what?"

"N-Never mind then..."

Meru anxiously sat down on her chair. Ryu genuinely had not seen anything because the table between them obscured his view in a way that he only could see both Lily and Meru from chest up. Though he could make a guess what the fuss was all about, he decided to not bring it up any further.

"So what are you going to do after this?"

"I... We still don't know for sure... We want to stay with the lizardman for a while... but we don't know if it would bring more trouble"

"Staying with the lizardman? Why?"

"W-We want to see... how they will fare under his command..."

Ryu could understand her reason. She still couldn't trust Ainz's words, so she wanted to see for herself. The thing is, would Ainz allow that?

"I'm worried about Crusch... will she be okay?"

"Is she the white lizardman I saw?"

"Yes... she insisted to come along for me. I can't thank her enough"

"I believe she will be all right. Let's just wait"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"So, what is your answer, Crusch Lulu?"

Crusch, who had just been given a chance to make a choice, went silent for a few seconds. Ainz felt a little anxious, worrying that she would still refuse and therefore he would lose the chance to experiment with resurrection.

"Alright, I will take the offer. I will become your eyes and ears, so please bring Zaryusu back"

 _All right!_

In his mind, Ainz made a victory pose for successfully convincing her.

 _Now, to contain the information from spreading..._

"Before we proceed, I will give you a chance to say your last goodbye to your human friend"

"What? What are you going to do to her?"

Crusch was naturally surprised, since the way Ainz said it sounded like Mel Rose would be killed off.

"Relax. I will merely forbid her from visiting your tribe ever again. I would like to prevent the news from spreading to human civilization, that I am capable of resurrection. Therefore, she must not see Zaryusu again, no? Therefore you also should never mention anything about it, or the deal is off"

"I see..."

Crusch looked a bit sad, but she seemed to understand.

"If you are ready, I will call her back"

Crusch nodded.

"Aura, bring Rose back here, or Meru, whoever she is right now"

"Alright, Ainz-sama!"

Within a minute, Aura brought Meru to the throne room. Both of them looked delighted seeing each other again, and they hugged.

"Meru, thank goodness you're safe"

"You too, Crusch-san"

After the brief exchange, they released their hug.

"Ainz Ooal Gown–sama said our tribe will be made prosper with Cocytus ruling over us, so don't worry about us"

"But... can that statement be trusted...?"

Meru glanced at Ainz with worried face.

 _Maybe I should do this to seal the deal..._

"Do not worry. I swear in the name of Ainz Ooal Gown that the lizardman tribes will prosper, and they will be ruled without oppression or fear"

Albedo, out from her own initiative, added an explanation.

"Lord Ainz's supreme name is not to be taken lightly, ever. None has ever seen Lord Ainz breaking any oath he swore in the name, and such thing will never happen"

Meru was silent, and then she looked at Crusch, who nodded.

"Meru, I'm happy to have you as my friend. But you should go. Human civilization is where you belong"

"But..."

"Don't worry about us and just go with your head held high, alright?"

 _She doesn't mention about the prohibition. Maybe it's actually a good move. Hmm..._

"Meru, since I believe you haven't learned much about this world, I highly recommend you to go together with Ryu. He should be able to teach you a thing or two"

Crusch was naturally confused since she has never seen Ryu.

"Who is Ryu?"

"He is a person who came from the same place as me"

Crusch looked happy hearing Meru's reply.

"That's great! You should go with him! I was worried about you being alone, but with a fellow person with you I'm sure you will be fine!"

"If you say so... Alright. Please be well, Crusch-san"

 _Great. Now to send them away..._

"I assume you are ready then. Aura, bring Ryu here"

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

Once again, Aura went away and returned within one minute with Ryu and Lily.

"Ryu, Meru will be in your care from now on. I will send you back the same way as before"

"Alright then"

[Gate]

Without delay, Ainz casted Gate to transport the three of them to E-Rantel.

"Be well, Meru"

Crusch said that as she waved hands. Meru replied with a nod, and the three of them went into the portal. Once they disappeared from sight, Ainz dispelled the portal.

"Now, let's proceed to the resurrection matter"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ryu, Lily, and Meru ended up in the woods near E-Rantel. Meru immediately switched to Rose upon arrival.

"Where is this?"

"A forest near a city"

"Couldn't he just teleport us into it?"

"Ainz's power is on a whole different level than this world's standards. Direct teleportation would cause a huge fuss"

"If you don't mind, I would like you to tell me further about this world"

The three of them then sat down on a nearby cluster of rocks. Ryu and Lily sat next to each other, while Rose sat facing Ryu.

"Human civilization is very low level compared to us, but they have real magic"

"Uh-huh, pretty much like those giants on Planet Harukotan"

 _I've never heard of Harukotan, but I will just assume ARKS found a new planet targeted by Darkers while I was gone_.

"This world's standards for combat power is very low. Everything not related to Ainz just die in one hit from my techs. Ah, speaking of which, somehow photon techs seem to be strengthened in this world"

"Yeah, I know. My photon arts are also affected. Have you ever seen a 20 meters long Kazan Nadeshiko?"

"Of course not. It's normally only about five meters, right?"

"Do you have any guesses on why this happens?"

"My only guess is that the photon particles in this world are peculiar, in a way that most of our photon arts and techs become much stronger than they should be"

"I see"

"Oh, your Photon Blast is Ketos Proi, right? Mine is Julius Nifta, and it made a huge crater when I used it once. I don't want to use it anymore. Ketos Proi should still be safe, though"

"Uh-huh"

"I want to ask something. What was that huge laser Meru casted?"

"You mean Fomelgion? It's a compound tech combining Fire and Dark element. It's been common knowledge for any Force class for years"

Ryu got confused again. He has never heard about compound tech. At this point he began to consider the plausibility of Rose coming from a parallel universe.

"Now, let's continue"

Ryu then continued giving Rose expositions about this world, he relayed the knowledge he either had gained from Gazef or from his own experience. The talk overall lasted for almost one hour.

"And I think that's all I know so far"

"Alright, I will be going then"

Rose said that as she stood up. Ryu was surprised hearing that.

"Going where?"

"Anywhere the road takes me. You have your way of finding the missing Gate Ship, and I will do it my own way"

"But Ainz told me to..."

"You have allied yourself with him and trusted him, while I'm still skeptical and probably will always be. We are not compatible"

"Hmm... I guess you're right. But what should I say to Ainz later if I meet him again?"

"Figure it out yourself, or just be honest and say I ran off by myself"

Ryu was conflicted in his mind. He wanted Rose to stay with him, but she also had a point. Moreover, he couldn't force someone else who had already made up her mind to go alone.

"Guess I can't stop you. But I can't let you leave empty handed"

Ryu took his money pouch from his photon inventory and gave Rose a bunch of silver and gold coins.

"That should last you for a while"

"I appreciate the help. Thanks"

Rose put all the coins into her photon inventory.

"Alright. Goodbye then, until we meet again someday"

"Be well, and be careful. Our photon armor is still effective at protecting us from direct damage but seems to be useless against weirder magic effect like curse, illusion, and mind disruption"

"I will keep that in mind"

"Goodbye, Rose-san, Meru-san. Be careful out there"

Lily spoke after being silent all this time. Rose was a little surprised, and then she turned away.

"Thanks, Lily. Oh, and... sorry... for talking bad about..."

"It's fine! Don't worry about it anymore!"

"H-Hey! It's not like I'm really sorry for that! Meru made me do this! Anyway, I'm leaving!"

Without looking back, Rose dashed away from the place. She went towards the east and soon disappeared from sight.

"Well, there she goes"

"Will she be alright, Ryu-san?"

"I believe she will. Let's go home and rest for now"

Ryu and Lily stood up and started walking towards E-Rantel. Ryu knew that his communication device was still linked, so if needed he could contact Rose anytime. Rose herself probably knew that as well.

And so, life goes on for Ryu, and a new adventure begins for Mel Rose.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **So with this, Volume 4 finally ends. The next chapter will take a while because I have to re-read volume 8 first to refresh my memory about events happening there. I might make Ryu involved, or I might make the canon happen offscreen while Ryu has his own problems to tackle. Time will tell.**

 **Ryu will see Mel Rose again, but not very soon. I might slip in two or three chapters of her own adventures before that.**

 **Q and A time**

* * *

 **Q: Would there be some kind of a fuck up in the near future?**

 **A: Depends on your definition of that. Though I can say that something major will happen in Volume 6 equivalent, and it will be a serious SHTF event**

* * *

 **Q: How strong or weak are the soldiers and higher ups in ARKS? And what are the most powerful being in ARKS are capable of?**

 **A: Photon armor and weapons can be said as the equivalent of Overlord-verse's magic armor and weapons, so even greenhorns wearing low rank photon armor and weapon are about equal to at least Platinum Rank adventurer. The strongest ones can put up a good fight against a Floor Guardian one on one. However, there is a trend going among operatives to go full offensive in their setups, so most of them are glass cannons who can't take much damage before going down. For the record, Ryu didn't go with this trend. His setup is rather defensive.**

 **A: There is a Six Pillar Council in ARKS, consisting of six characters well known for their heroic deeds and strength. One of them, a character named Regius, is able to one-hit-kill a Dark Falz, although with a great cost to his body and his weapon shattered after that. Also, there is the 'Supreme Leader' of ARKS named Xiao who is capable of opening an interdimensional gate large enough to transport a planet-sized mothership, and also capable of facilitating time travel. Oh, he is not the mad chairman I mentioned before. That's a different person.**


	24. Intermission 3

**Hi, All!**

 **I still need more time, so here's a filler short chapter in the meantime.**

 **See you in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Thank you for your patronage"

 _Cheapskate..._

The shopkeeper of the E-Rantel Magician's Guild shop section bowed as the group of adventurers in front of him turned away and left the shop counter. They had just bought an enchanted necklace with the effect of slowing the growth of physical fatigue, which in practice enabled one to do physical activities about 50% longer before getting too tired to continue.

It was a very practical item to have, and the price of eight gold coins should be a fair one. However, the bunch of Gold Rank adventurers only bought one instead of one for each member despite the shopkeeper trying his best to convince them, which annoyed him. Of course for the sake of ethic he had not shown it at all.

Though the main reason for the shopkeeper's annoyance was that he could have earned more for himself if they had bought one for each member.

He had not heard about the details, but he knew that recently the guild had spent a great deal of funds to secure an ancient relic of tremendous value, and therefore they enacted a sale drive to recover the expense. In essence, the shopkeeper would be rewarded two silver coins from the guild for every gold coin he earned through selling the guild's goods. Therefore, he tried his best to sell as many as he could.

 _It's noon and I haven't even scored a single gold coin for myself_

A bunch of silver coins was bothersome to carry around, so he hoped that by the end of the day he would sell enough to earn one gold coin for himself.

Still, he knew that it couldn't be helped. Compared to most other market, the goods from Magician's Guild could be said as luxury. A single item among the cheapest goods was still outside the range of all but the richer ones and higher ranked adventurers, and therefore potential customers rarely came.

 _Fifty silver coins is too heavy for comfort to carry around. Somebody please come and buy something!_

It was another half an hour until he saw someone coming in from the entrance. It was a group of two, one man and one girl quite shorter than him. The shopkeeper at first was delighted seeing the potential buyer, but within seconds it faded.

 _Their eyes scanning around like that, definitely first-timers. Probably just looking around._

From his experience, pretty much all customers who came into the guild for the first time would only look around, ask a few things, get surprised by the price of the goods, and then leave without buying anything.

Still, he felt that something was strange about these two adventurers.

They were still a little far away from him, but he could see that their plates were of Orichalcum Rank. Usually first-timers were always Gold Rank or lower, occasionally Platinum. The more difficult missions of their rank would make them aware of the importance of having magic items, and therefore they would come to see what they could obtain to make their jobs easier.

 _Don't tell me that they reached Orichalcum without magic items._

Moreover, the man's outfit looked too impractical for battle with that elegant long coat, dark colored immaculate shirt, white gloves, dark trousers, and shiny black shoes that looked more fit for noble ballroom than adventures. He seriously would not look out of place among nobles with that kind of getup.

 _Either he's currently putting away his battle outfit, or that one he is wearing is a full set of magic clothes._

The latter was much less likely than the former since an entire set of magic clothes was so expensive only Adamantite Rank adventurers could possibly obtain one. Orichalcum was only one level below Adamantite, though. So the possibility was still there

On the other hand, the girl next to him looked like an adventurer without a doubt. She wore a set of armor which still lacked some parts, the upper arms and upper legs to be exact, to be said as full plate. That was not a strange thing, since a full plate armor set was very expensive, so most people choose to only partially cover their body with armor. What came to him as strange was that she left her thighs bare instead of covering them with leather pants or such. For any enemy with a degree of intelligence, that was the same as an invitation to attack that unprotected part.

 _Oh, they are coming here. I better stop now._

Being aware that the two new visitors are approaching him, the shopkeeper decided to stop thinking too much about them, and instead formally greeted them like how he always did to any other people coming to him.

"Welcome. How may I help you?"

"I am looking for magic items that can be useful for us"

 _First-timers confirmed._

Such a broad question would only come out from first-timers. Otherwise they would be more specific on their purpose. In any case, no matter what, all potential customers had to be treated professionally. That was his principle at work.

"All items we have can be useful in their own way. Do you have something specific in mind, sir?"

"To be honest, no. Could you recommend something for us?"

 _Alright, in that case..._

The shopkeeper believed that in this situation the best course of action would be to show one of the cheapest items, but not the cheapest one. That way he would still have something else to show if the customer asked for something cheaper.

Therefore, he presented a simple ring.

"This ring can be activated once every three days to rejuvenate yourself from sleepiness, eliminating the need to sleep for the next twenty hours. This can be yours for five gold coins"

The man seemed to be thinking for a little bit.

"The cooldown is too long for my taste. Do you have something more... impressive?"

"Sure! How about this?"

The shopkeeper presented another ring. This one was fancier than the previous with a small magic stone embedded on it.

"This ring protects you from all harmful tier one spells twice a day. You can have it for nine gold coins"

"Hmm... That would be useful, but do you have something like that but of a higher grade?"

 _Wow, is he for real?_

The shopkeeper was quite baffled. So far the man has not shown any signs of getting deterred by the price of the items he had presented so far. This could mean one of two things. One, the man actually had quite an amount of money in his hands. Two, the man had no intention to buy anything from the start.

The shopkeeper assumed that the latter was much more likely, so his motivation started to wane.

"We do have one which works against up to tier two spells three times a day"

"How much is that one?"

"Sixty gold coins"

"Does this work against spells that cause confusion, illusion spells, or such?"

"It works against any spells that are directly casted on the wearer, as long as the spells are within the first two tiers"

"Hmm... Is there another of even higher grade?"

"Unfortunately we don't have any"

 _Just get this over with and go away, you freeloader._

"Alright then, I will buy the second tier ring"

"Thank you. Please come aga-"

 _Wait, what?_

"Sorry, sir. I think my mind dazed off for a second. Would you repeat what you just said?"

"I will buy the ring that protects from second tier spells"

"I see. Then please wait for a moment"

The shopkeeper was about to go to the back room to retrieve the ring before the man spoke again.

"Ah, wait. If you have another I will buy two. One for each of us"

 _Whaaaat?!_

"C-Certainly, sir"

The shopkeeper quickly went to the back, hastily taking two of the aforementioned ring, and returned to the counter where the man was waiting. During this time he tried hard to regain his calm.

 _Don't get too excited. He might cancel it at the last moment just to mess with me_.

The shopkeeper presented two identical ring boxes, each with a scroll attached to it. The scrolls were certificates signed by the Guildmaster to guarantee the authenticity of the items.

"That would be one hundred and twenty gold coins, sir"

The man reached into the inner part of his long coat and took out a money pouch. That small pouch would never fit one hundred and twenty gold coins.

"Do you accept platinum coins? It's one for ten, right?"

"C-Certainly, sir"

The man put down twelve platinum coins into the coin tray on the table. The shopkeeper took a deep look at the coins to make sure that those were really platinum coins.

"I have received the payment. Thank you for the patronage"

"Thank you for the service too, sir..."

"Berthold Drake"

"I'm Ryu Seika"

"And I'm Lily Vangraf!"

"It is an honor to be of service to you. Please come again soon"

Berthold bowed to the two adventurers.

"Ah, come to think of it..."

After saying that, Ryu took one of the two ring boxes and opened it. He then took the ring inside from the box.

"Lily, remove your gauntlet"

"W-What?"

"You can't wear this over your gauntlet, right?"

"R-Right, Ryu-san"

Lily looked flustered and blushing as she removed the gauntlet of her right arm. She then reached her right hand to Ryu, and he gently put the ring into her ring finger. The ring fit well.

"Good"

Ryu then took the other ring from the box and put it on his own right ring finger over the white glove. It also fit well. At this point, Lily looked even more flustered and blushing than before.

Seeing this, Berthold clapped his hands in applause. Other staff members nearby also followed suit.

"Congratulations!"

"What?"

Ryu seemed confused at the sudden applause. Then within a few seconds he looked at the ring on Lily's finger and the identical one on his own finger, and he realized it.

"Nonononono! It's a misunderstanding!"

Ryu's voice got sunk within the loud applause, so nobody heard anything he had said. Without wasting any more time, he grabbed Lily's hand and ran away with her without saying any word.

"What a unique way to propose, don't you think?"

A fellow staff said that to Berthold.

"Sure it was. And they forgot to bring the ring boxes and certificates. I will keep them until they come back"

Berthold took the things left behind from the counter and put it away. Today he had learned that things can take unexpected turn anytime, either good or bad. He had experienced the good side and was thankful for that.

Though on the other hand, if he calculated it right, he would have to carry a heavy weight of ninety silver coins and one gold coin home tonight unless he could find another buyer within the rest of his work shift.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **I was trying to write on how a common people of New World would think about Ryu and Lily upon seeing them. Quite a fun experiment, though I wouldn't know how good the result is without comments from others, so let me know what you think.**

 **I also have two questions for those who read this. Your answer may affect how I will bring this saga in the future.**

 **1\. Seeing one recent comment, I'm considering the option of actually adding a third member to Ryu's party. Would you like it to happen? Though keep in mind that it won't be Mel Rose since I already have plans for her.**

 **2\. How often would you like to have side-story chapters of Mel Rose's own adventures?**

* * *

 **Updated Character Sheets**

* * *

 **Name:** Ryu Seika

 **Height:** 173 cm

 **Appearance:** See cover image

 **Class:** Force level 70

 **Sub Class:** Techer level 70

 **Skill Build:** Thunder Element and Dark Element focused

 **Main Weapons:** Weddle Park Rod, Gal Wind Talis

 **Reserve Weapons:** Rod of Caduceus, Wand of Elysion, Dahgash Talis, Metal Ignis Talis, Heretic Saw Talis, Motav Prophecy Talis, Seimei Kikami Talis

 **Special Perks:**

*. Photon Inventory. Works the same way as Ainz's inventory system.

*. Photon Armor. A defensive invisible energy shield, giving protection to the whole body.

*. Photon Clothing. Enables instant change of clothes.

*. Photon Blast - Julius Nifta. Creates an energy sphere which pulls everything within one kilometer radius into it and disintegrates those touching the sphere.

*. Ring of Minor Protection. Guards against all low level ailments.

*. Ring of Nullification. Guards against harmful spells up to tier two. Has three charges which replenishes each day.

* * *

 **Name:** Lily Vangraf

 **Height:** 148 cm

 **Appearance:** 00m dot deviantart dot com/art/Lily-737314986 (This site is bad with links so just replace the "dot" with actual dots and remove the spaces)

 **Class:** LoyalDog (Level 5), The Creature Within (Level 27)

 **Equipment:**

Winged Helmet of Vedrfolnir. Enchanted, increases maximum HP, passively regenerates HP.

Breastplate of Vedrfolnir (With cape). Enchanted, reduces stab damage, reduces fire damage.

Gauntlets of Vedrfolnir. Enchanted, increased resistance to poison, increased resistance to paralysis.

Greaves of Vedrfolnir. Enchanted, 10% chance to survive with 1 HP upon taking fatal damage.

Twin Swords of Vedrfolnir. Enchanted, adds arcane damage, enabling it to deal damage to ethereal beings.

Simple Red Shirt

Simple Black Shorts

Simple Black Socks

Ring of Nullification. Guards against harmful spells up to tier two. Has three charges which replenishes each day.

 **Special Perks:**

*. Vedrfolnir's Flight (5 pieces): Substantial increase of agility and stamina

*. The Creature Within: Increase of all stats according to level

* * *

 **Name:** Mel Rose (Meru and Rose)

 **Height:** 144 cm

 **Appearance:** **sta dot sh/220rl2a1s1uo**

 **Class:** Force level 75 (Meru), Braver level 75 (Rose)

 **Sub Class:** Techer level 75 (Meru), Fighter level 75 (Rose)

 **Skill Build (Meru):** Fire, Dark, and Light element focused.

 **Skill Build (Rose):** Full offensive glass cannon

 **Main Weapons (Meru):** Nox Liepher Rod, Nox Krieg Talis

 **Main Weapons (Rose):** Nox Sagephus Katana

 **Reserve Weapons:** Koushousen Talis (Meru)

 **Special Perks:**

*. Photon Inventory. Works the same way as Ainz's inventory system.

*. Photon Armor. A defensive invisible energy shield, giving protection to the whole body.

*. Photon Clothing. Enables instant change of clothes.

*. Photon Blast - Ketos Proi. Gradually heals and significantly regenerates mana while it is active.

* * *

 **Q and A:**

* * *

 **Q:** Are ARK's powerful techs or items can compete against WCIs?

 **A:** Being technological, I don't think anything in their possession would be able to compete against grand magic artifacts. But nobody knows for sure

* * *

 **Q:** Do you intend to make Ryu have some conflict with the ainz?, If so would soon be the furthest? And Ryu could have an evolution and managed to hit the guardians or Ainz head on?

 **A:** Probably only as far as verbal conflict. He knew very well that he would never be able to defeat Ainz in actual combat. A single cast of [Death] would just end him before he could do anything.


	25. Chapter 21: Enigmatic Monsters

**Hi all, author here again!**

 **Sorry that it took this long for anyone who has been following. I've been quite busy with some work, and also got distracted by an MMO game I recently picked up again after retiring from it for 2 years.**

 **Like always, see you again in the afterword.**

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 **[X][X][X]**

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Ryu buried himself under blanket on his bed in Golden Pavilion inn. The recent shopping trip he had made to Magician's Guild had accidentally created an impression of him proposing to Lily.

 _I just wanted to check if the size of the rings fits with our fingers!_

Moreover, Ryu feared that the false rumor would spread fast like wildfire. He had let his name known there. That meant the Guildmaster, Theo Rakheshir, would soon know. Rakheshir seemed to be close friends with Pluton Ainzach, so eventually it would spread to Adventurer's Guild too.

 _Oh please, now I have to deal with an embarrassing false rumor._

Ryu seriously thought of sleeping all day in the inn for some days and let the false news die out by itself, but it might backfire on him if he let the news settle into everybody's mind. Still, he was still undecided on what to do.

"Ryu-san. Are you all right?"

Lily asked that while sitting on her bed. Ryu replied without getting out of his blanket. His body was facing away from Lily.

"Lily, I want to make sure. You didn't misunderstand like the others, right?"

"I know you just wanted to check if the size fits"

 _At least she got it. But come to think of it, why did she blush?_

"But... Somehow I felt something... strange"

"What? What was strange?"

"I don't know. My face somewhat warmed up, my heart skipped a beat..."

 _Don't tell me that..._

Ryu knew very well that what Lily had just described was the same as what happens on many stories he had read in the past. In pretty much all of them, those things were signs of love.

"Lily, do you have any idea about that?"

"No. I have never experienced it before"

Ryu had no idea what to do against this situation. He had never been romantically loved by a woman before. Also, he couldn't return the feelings because while he loved Lily, he was certain that his love was more like a father-daughter love rather than the romantic couple one.

 _This will never work out. But how do I tell her...?_

But then again, there's still no confirmation that Lily had started to love him for real. Therefore, Ryu decided to brush the topic off.

"If you don't feel ill or anything, better pay it no heed"

"Alright, Ryu-san. So what are we going to do?"

Ryu pondered about Lily's question. The sun was still high in the sky, so spending the time just burying himself on the bed would be a waste. Therefore, he got out of the blanket and stood up from the bed.

"Let's go to the Guild"

The two of them left the inn and walked to the Adventurer's Guild. Nothing happened on the way, and they arrived pretty quickly. Once they arrived, Ryu immediately went to the receptionist.

"Good afternoon, Ryu and Lily of Ignite Maximus. How may I help you?"

"I know this is sudden, but I'd like to meet the Guildmaster if possible"

"Please have a seat and wait. We will get back to you shortly"

The lady went to the back and talked to a fellow staff as Ryu left the counter and sat down on a vacant seat, with Lily following along without saying any word. Other adventurers who saw them looked in awe, as if they were a group of celebrities. This was the first time Ryu felt something like it, and he could make out some of the nearby whispers.

" _It's Ignite Maximus. The real deal!"_

" _I heard he killed hundreds of undeads with one spell"_

" _Don't forget that the girl killed a skeletal dragon all by herself"_

" _Darkness is still the best, but Ignite Maximus is not to be taken lightly"_

Ryu didn't really mind the attention, but indeed it felt a little heavy to be looked up by people around him. Should he try his best to keep up with his image, or just act as if he was the same person as always? There was no correct answer since both options had their own merit.

While he was thinking, a guild staff approached him.

"The Guildmaster is ready to meet you"

"Thanks"

Ryu said that while getting up from the seat. Lily followed him, and they went to Ainzach's office room upstairs. Once they arrived at the room's door, Ryu knocked on it.

"Come in!"

Ryu opened the door, and what he saw inside was not only Ainzach but also Rakheshir. At this point Ryu wondered about how often Rakheshir, the Guildmaster of a different Guild, visits Ainzach. He also remembered that Ainzach used to call Rakheshir on first name basis so maybe they were close friends. Then again, this world seemed a bit inconsistent in the usage of either first name or last name for addressing other people.

Ryu realized that he was going nowhere in his thinking so he stopped.

"Hello, Ryu-san and Lily-san. Nice to see you safe and sound"

"The same applies to you too, Ainzach-dono and Rakheshir-dono"

Ryu and Lily shook hands with both Ainzach and Rakheshir, and then all of them sat down on the available seats.

"I heard that you wanted to see me. Is something the matter?"

"Yes, actually"

"Ah, but before that. Let us congratulate you"

 _Ah, crap._

"Congratulations for your engagement! Don't forget to invite us for the party!"

Rakheshir said that while clapping his hands in applause. Ryu just facepalmed seeing this.

"Well, that is what we wanted to say, but this was a misunderstanding, wasn't it?"

Ryu got surprised hearing Ainzach's words. He had just been expecting things to get more difficult, but it seemed to go the other way just now.

"Yes, definitely! I was just checking if the size fits!"

Rakheshir laughed a little, and then he spoke.

"My staff members told me about what happened, and I told them that anyone in their right mind wouldn't use magic ring to propose. They were convinced that you wanted to propose in a unique way, but I beg to differ"

"Thank you for clearing up the misunderstanding!"

"No problem. But still, why don't you do it for real?"

"What...?"

"You two seem to work together really well. Going further with your relationship would be good, wouldn't it?"

Lily seemed to be startled and immediately started blushing again. On the other hand, Ryu immediately went into ending this conversation as fast as possible.

"Being partners in work is a different matter from being a couple. Anyway, I should go. Let's go, Lily"

"A-Alright, Ryu-san"

Ryu stood up and left the room without looking back. He totally didn't want that topic to go any further, because he had already determined himself that he and Lily would never work out as a couple.

As the two of them went down to the first floor, Ryu could hear a commotion at the main hall. Among the crowd noise, he could hear a wailing of a girl, but he still couldn't see the one wailing. Ryu increased his pace and approached the nearest person.

"What's happening?"

"Ah, I don't know much but it seems she had just lost all her party"

"What? How did that happen?"

"She has not said anything other than that"

Being curious, Ryu intended to approach the girl, whom he could not see yet because of the crowd surrounding her. However, before he could step further, he heard someone else shouting.

"Give way! Give way!"

The voice sounded like the receptionist lady. Immediately, the crowd dispersed, giving way to the staff and the grieving girl.

"Now, please calm down and go with me"

The staff member then slowly and gently brought the girl with her through the crowd. The girl was still sobbing as they walked. It was at this point that Ryu recognized who the girl was.

"Alice?"

There was no mistaking it. The girl was Alice Vegelshaft, the one who had given Ryu and Lily the ability to read and write this world's written language with her Talent. It has been a while since the last time he had seen her, and she pretty much had not changed. She still wore the same simple hooded long robe, which reached her knees, over a simple one-piece dress which reached halfway through her thighs. She also still wore the same leather pants under the simple dress and a pair of high-cut boots which reached slightly below halfway through her calves.

"Ryu-san"

Lily called his name while looking at him with determined eyes. Ryu immediately undestood what she wanted to say, and he had intended to do so without doubt.

"I know, Lily. Let's help her in any way we can"

Lily nodded, and the two of them followed Alice and the staff. She was brought into one vacant conference room upstairs, and in there the staff politely made her to sit down.

"Now take a deep breath and collect yourself"

Ryu and Lily were standing right at the room's door. Quite a lot of other adventurers were behind them, looking pretty worried. He could not confirm their motives behind their worried look. They might have genuine concern about Alice, or they might fear about a new strong adversary out there, or some other reason.

The staff member looked this way and spoke.

"Ryu and Lily of Ignite Maximus, may I bother you to accompany her while I go get another staff member?"

"Sure"

"Thank you. The rest of you out there, please leave for now and give her some space"

The staff member then stood up and left the room. Ryu closed the door once she left, leaving only him, Lily, and Alice remaining inside the room. Without saying anything to the still-crying Alice, Ryu and Lily approached and took a seat nearby.

"Uhh, Liz. You can take your time. We will be here to hear from you once you are ready"

Alice didn't show any reaction. She just continued her sobbing, although she slowly started to calm down compared to before. Still, seeing her like this rather than the usually calm and sleepyhead Alice was quite heavy for Ryu.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and the one coming in was the staff lady from before along with Pluton Ainzach and Theo Rakheshir. The staff lady brought pen and paper, probably to write down a report about what had happened to Alice's party.

The three newcomer immediately sat down on the available spaces. At this point Alice almost finally stopped with her crying.

"Alright. Now that we are here, first thing first, let me express my condolences for your loss, Alice Vegelshaft. Your team has done a lot of contributions for the guild, and this loss is quite a blow to us"

Inside Ryu's mind, he was quite confused. The amount of attention given to Alice by the guild was very significant, with the Guildmaster himself paying a visit in person. He wouldn't be as confused if Alice's rank was at least Mithril, but she was still Gold Rank like before.

 _Is this the norm, or is there something I still don't know about?_

"Now, to prevent any more people to fall victim, we need you to give us information about what has happened to your party"

Alice was silent for half a minute, and then she finally spoke.

"We... We were just visiting Katze Plains to hunt for undeads. There was nothing strange happening. We easily exterminated all the undeads we found. But suddenly... That thing..."

Alice fell into silence. Ainzach tried to make her talk by asking a question.

"What thing? An undead?"

"I... I don't know! That thing just came from behind and chomped on Roland! When we looked back only his legs were left!"

Alice started to leak tears again.

"Did you see the creature?"

"It was... It was a floating fish, as big as a horse!"

"What...? I have never seen or heard about a creature like that. Are you sure?"

"There's no mistaking it! I will never forget its wide red mouth and those sharp teeth!"

There was a silence after that. Ainzach seemed to lean over to Rakheshir and whispered something. Since he was nearby, Ryu could still hear it.

"Do you know any creature like that, Theo?"

"No, but I will look it up as soon as possible"

"I hope you will find something. A new type of monster is the last thing we need"

Ryu pondered about the mentioned fish monster. He had seen a distant silhouette of a floating fish back then when he had visited Katze Plains to exterminate a wave of undead horde. Could that be the same creature? But the one he had seen looked like one type of Darker named Dahgash. If that was really a Dahgash, then that means this planet has fallen to the fate of being targeted by Darkers.

 _There's still no confirmation, so I still can't say for sure._

"Did you fight that monster?"

Ainzach asked another question. It was clear that he was trying to get as much information as possible since this was a matter of every adventurers' safety. Katze Plains was a popular spot for adventurers to hunt for their income due to the infinitely spawning undead there, but if suddenly a new monster capable of wiping out a Gold Rank team appears the news must be spread to prevent more unfortunate victims.

"We did. We struck it with all we got, but nothing worked. We then decided to run away, but..."

Alice fell into silence again.

"But what?"

"But just then we realized that we were surrounded by many more of the monster"

"Surrounded? How? I believe Gus should have seen them from miles away despite the battle, shouldn't he?"

"Maya asked the exact same thing. What Gus said was that... He suddenly sensed those monsters when they were already too close, as if... as if they have teleported in"

Ainzach's face turned grim as he heard the last part.

"This is very bad. Theo, you better start looking it up immediately"

"Please excuse me then"

Rakheshir stood up and left the room in a hurry. Ryu wanted to ask a question, so he spoke up.

"Alice, among those fish monsters, are there ones with smaller size?"

"Y-Yes! We were surrounded by at least ten, and only two or three were as big as the first one! The rest are smaller!"

Ainzach looked at Ryu after hearing Alice's answer.

"Ryu, do you know something about the monster?"

"I still can't say for sure, but there are monsters similar to that from where I came from"

"Tell us about it! Unconfirmed info is still better than no info at all"

"Alright, but let me remind you once again that we still don't know for sure that it was really them"

Ryu then told everyone in the room all he knew about Dahgash and Dagacha, from their tendency to come in swarms and their attack behaviour of chomping wildly. He still didn't mention anything about them being Darkers and him being part of a space army specifically founded to exterminate them.

"And they really can teleport?"

"Yes, but after teleporting they won't attack for a few seconds. The cause is still unknown, but probably because they have to reorient themselves"

"Do they have weaknesses?"

"They are weak against lightning element, and the forehead or inside the mouth is a weak point. I can kill the smaller ones with one hit of a well-placed lightning spell. The bigger one needs two or three hits, though"

The staff member wrote down everything Ryu had said. Ainzach's face seemed to be relieved after hearing Ryu's answer.

"Thank you very much, Ryu. You have provided a very crucial info I never thought I would get this quickly"

"But once again, we still don't know if it was really them"

"And once again I say that unconfirmed info is still better than no info"

"By the way... Liz, how did you escape?"

"They... They told me to fly away. I didn't want to leave them! But they... they... Waaaaaaah!"

Alice broke down crying again. Ryu looked left and right in panic because he felt really guilty for asking a question that had triggered a mine.

"H-Hey, Liz. They might be still alive. Let's go save them"

Ainzach and the staff lady next to him were surprised hearing what Ryu had just said.

"Ryu-san, I really don't recommend doing that. Despite your knowledge about them, we still don't know if they are really the monsters you know about, but from her story we know for sure that these monsters are dangerous"

Alice barely stopped her crying and spoke up.

"T-They told me... to never come back for them"

"But is it really what you want?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Then let's not wait any longer"

"Ryu-san, did you hear anything I have said? I don't want to risk losing another capable adventurer team. Please reconsider"

"There's another reason I want to do this, Ainzach-dono"

"What is it?"

"I need to confirm if those monsters are really the ones from my origin"

Ryu was very worried inside his mind. If the monsters were really Darkers, that would mean that this planet was in a very grim situation. The combat capability of this planet's residents was nowhere near enough to defeat any Darker outside the weakest mooks, and eventually a Dark Falz would arrive. There was no guarantee that ARKS would arrive in time to protect this planet.

 _Worse come to worst, I have to request help from Ainz. But..._

Ryu then remembered a critical fact about Darkers: Only photon attacks were effective against them. While they still could be killed without photon attacks, doing so would cause their remains to spread their essence like spores, which would infect living creatures and cause them to go berserk, or convert the area into Darker spawning ground.

 _Ainz probably can kill them with his might, but that will only serve to spread the plague faster._

Ryu soon decided to not think about it too much for now since there was still no confirmation. Later, they arrived at the city gate and Ryu noticed something strange there. The length of the queuing people wishing for entry was quite longer than usual, and it didn't seem to advance at all. It was not a problem for Ryu's group since people going out were handled separately and as Orichalcum Rank he essentially has been given a privilege to walk past the officers nonchalantly, but he got curious.

"Wait here for a second"

Ryu said that to both Lily and Alice. He intended to only take a little glimpse on the thing going on at the duty station and then immediately get going with his trip. When he was in front of the station, he saw that the officers there seemed to be interrogating a village girl, and this particular girl was somewhat familiar to him.

"Oh! Ryu of Ignite Maximus! How may I help you?"

One of the officers noticed Ryu's presence and greeted. Being Orichalcum Rank, Ryu was pretty much well known among the guards, especially since a number of them had seen him exterminating hundreds of undead by himself.

"I noticed the long queue and got curious about what's happening"

"Ah, you see, this girl brought a suspicious item, so we are checking her out"

"I see"

Ryu was about to leave after knowing the gist of things happening, but suddenly...

"Ah! You are the one with Ainz Ooal Gown – sama!"

Ryu was surprised by the girl's sudden exclamation. The same applied to the officers around her. Immediately, the one who had greeted Ryu asked a question.

"Ryu-dono, do you know this girl?"

Ryu's mind went into overdrive. He was never proud of the fact that he had a tendency to easily forget the face and name of people he met. But fortunately, he could quickly deduce who this girl was since there was only one place where the people had seen him with Ainz.

"You are... the girl from Carne Village, aren't you? Sorry, but I forgot your name"

"Enri! I'm Enri Emmot!"

Ryu was now confused on what to do. He had to hurry with his current mission, but right in front of him was someone who knew both him and Ainz. He would prefer to not leave someone he knew in trouble.

 _At least I have to understand the full situation first._

"I'm in a hurry, so please briefly explain her situation"

Ryu asked that question to the same officer.

"She claimed to be a simple village girl, but she was carrying a powerful magic item. She said that someone named Ainz... what was the name again... anyway, that person gave it to her"

 _Ah, so she was one of the two girls back then._

"Is the item a blowing horn?"

"Y-Yes! That is correct! How did you know?"

The officer couldn't hide his surprise.

"I was there when Ainz-dono gave the item to her"

Before any of the officers could express their surprise, someone else came and asked a question.

"We wish to enter the city, but… what's going on?"

It was Momon, Ainz's adventurer persona. The officers seemed as if they were about to faint seeing another celebrity figure within a short time. The one who had been talking to Ryu then repeated what he had said to explain to Momon about things going on.

Momon made an armfold posture and seemed to be letting out a sigh. Ryu wondered what he was thinking, either as Momon persona, or as his true identity. He then made a gesture to the nearby officer dressed like a magic caster to come with him to a nearby separate room. Once the two figures disappeared into the room, the previous officer asked a question to Ryu.

"So, Ryu-dono. Do you know about this Ainz person?"

"Not much actually. We met and walked together for a little while, and then we went our separate ways"

"What kind of person is he in your opinion? What does he look like?"

"He is a very strong magic caster, and he always wears a full face mask so I don't know what's behind it"

Ryu already knew too well that it was best to not talk too much about Ainz, so he decided to craft his words to give information within the limit of what Enri also already knew. That way he would not leak information unnecessarily. Still, he sometimes worried that his mouth might slip without him realizing it.

Soon, Momon and the officer with him came back from the separate room. Without saying a word Momon left the duty station and the magic caster officer told everyone there that Momon had vouched for Enri, so she may enter without further investigation.

Ryu remembered that he was in a hurry, so he decided to leave as well.

"If the matter is resolved, then I will take my leave"

"Understood, Ryu-dono. Be careful out there"

Ryu left the duty station, and to his surprise Lily and Alice were right nearby.

"Took you long enough"

Alice, having regained her calm, spoke in a flat, sleepy tone like she had always been before. In a way, Ryu was somewhat relieved.

"Sorry, it turned out the one in trouble was someone I know"

"Who?"

"A villager girl I met before I met you. Both of you"

"So you helped her?"

"I was about to, but Momon vouched for her so in the end my involvement was not needed"

"Heh, kinda figured that when we saw him coming in and out"

"Let's go, then"

The three of them then rode a carriage Ryu had hired to take them to the edge of Katze Plains. The trip there went smoothly without any trouble.

"It might be dangerous, so you can go home if you want"

Ryu said that as he handed two silver coins to the driver, who complied with Ryu's words and went away back to E-Rantel.

"Show us the way, Liz. Lily, watch out for anything from behind"

The three of them walked through the thick fog of Katze Plains with Alice leading the way in front, Ryu right behind her, and Lily at the back looking out for hostiles that might come from behind. On the way, they encountered several weak undead creatures which they exterminated easily. From this trip Ryu learned a bit about Alice's capability in combat. She was capable of casting spells of third tier such as fireball without much effort.

"Liz, I must say that you are stronger than your rank implies. You could be Mithril if you ask me"

"The Guildmaster said the same, but I didn't want to leave my mates behind"

"I see"

From the short exchange, Ryu could finally understand why there was so much attention to Alice. Her capability was higher than her rank would suggest, therefore despite her being Gold Rank the guild treated her like Mithril Rank at least. On the other hand, the other members of her team were as capable as Gold Ranks should be, so she chose to stay at Gold Rank and climb the ranks along with them.

"We're here..."

As Alice said that, Ryu looked at the battle aftermath in front of him. Indeed, like Alice had said, there was a pair of severed legs left behind. There was no monsters in the vicinity, but one can't be too careful.

Alice approached the severed legs and kneeled.

"Roland..."

In some distance ahead, Ryu could see more severed body parts, all of them dyed the ground around them red with blood.

Alice slowly approached the scattered body parts one by one. She kneeled near each one of them, speaking their names in a soft, sad tone.

"Gus..."

"Maya..."

"Gunther..."

"..."

Alice stayed kneeling near the last body part. She did not speak a word, but her face showed that she was holding herself hard from crying.

"Liz... Are these... all of them...?"

Alice just nodded slightly, but from that Ryu knew that all of her partners were dead. He had no idea what to say to her.

"So... what are you going to do, with their remains?"

Alice took a few seconds to breathe deeply.

"I will cremate them"

"Let me help you then. Lily, please stay on guard"

"Sure, Ryu-san"

Both Ryu and Alice took the body remains and arranged them in a line. The body parts were put separately for each person represented by the body parts. However, there were so few of remaining body parts, it felt very sad praying for them.

"I'm sorry... that I couldn't protect you all... and that I couldn't even send you off as a whole..."

Alice leaked tears as she casted a fireball to cremate all the remains of her partners. She finally cried once again as the blazing hot fire consumed the remains of her partners.

"Alice. I don't know if this is a right thing to do, but... you can cry on my shoulders if you need it"

After hearing that, Alice immediately hugged Ryu and cried on his shoulders. Ryu gently caressed her back as she continued with her grieving.

With not much to consume, the fire died out within minutes. Along with the fire, Alice also stopped her crying and released her hug.

"Ryu... Thank you... for helping me bringing my partners closure..."

"It's all right. Let's go home then"

Ryu decided to not continue scouting for the monsters responsible for this. The main reason was that he didn't want to tire out Alice. The other reason was that if the monsters were really Darkers, they would have attacked him already since Darkers have a tendency to get attracted by photons possessed by ARKS. Therefore, the monsters probably were not Darkers after all.

The three of them walked back to E-Rantel without trouble other than it taking more time since they had to walk all the way back. Alice could use Fly but since Ryu and Lily couldn't she chose to walk with them. By the time they reached the city gate, the sun was already not far off from the horizon.

"What are you going to do from now on, Liz?"

"I... don't know"

"I want to let you know that if you need someone to talk to, we are here for you"

"Thanks..."

"Do you have a place to sleep tonight?"

"Not yet. We were planning to camp out for today, but..."

"How about spending the night with us?"

"What?"

"I just can't have you bear the burden of loneliness from having just lost everyone today. Though Lily will have to share her bed. Is that fine for you, Lily?"

"I was hoping that you would say that, Ryu-san! I'm all good for that!"

"Heh... you're too kind. Thanks"

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 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Great Forest of Tob, Night**

"The lair is over there, Ainz-sama"

"...Nobody's standing watch. How careless. Alright, it can't be helped. We'll knock next time."

With Aura by his side, Ainz walked toward the entrance to the underground cave believed to be the lair of The Giant of The East. He came here intending to just talk at first, but the moment he entered the cave he could smell the stench of blood and the feeling of lingering death.

"Something is wrong here. Aura, be on your guard"

"Ainz-sama! I feel the presence of unknown creatures behind that corner!"

Aura pointed at a corner where the cave had a T-junction; one way straight ahead and the other to the right. Ainz prepared himself both for battle and for fleeing if things would go hairy.

Immediately, one creature showed itself.

It was a quadruped about the size of a horse. Its head had no mouth, instead it had a long sharp spike in its place. At the back of its head there was a pair of horns pointing upwards and what seemed to be a pair of small insect wings near the horns. Despite being as large as a horse, most of its size came from the collective size of its four legs, which seemed to be naturally armored and had two opposite joints making its posture similar to a spider. Its actual body was rather small, just slightly bigger than the head. The creature's color was a combination of grey and pale brown, but its body had a glowing red part right underneath.

Ainz could feel from his instinct that this creature was aggressive and would never negotiate, and he soon was proven right.

More of the creatures appeared from the corner, making a swarm of at least twenty of them. They all charged towards Ainz and Aura.

"Stand back, Aura"

[Lightning]

Ainz only casted a low tier spell for a number of reasons. One, he wanted to test if these unknown creatures were about as strong as the average creatures he had encountered so far. Two, the cave they were in might collapse if he used more powerful spells. It wouldn't be a problem for him and Aura, but salvaging possible information from this location would take more work if that happens.

Despite only casting a tier three spell, Ainz had a very high overall magic power as a level 100 player, so the damaging capability of the spell was much stronger than any average magic caster of this world would produce by casting the same spell.

The lightning hit the creatures clean through. They were staggered and damaged, but they all survived the spell. They soon continued their charge

[Dragon Lightning]

This time Ainz casted a tier five spell, the same one he had casted back then when he stepped out from Nazarick to save the two villager girls.

 _If this is still not enough I will cast Chain Dragon Lightning, and if that is still not enough I will retreat._

Thankfully, this time it was fully effective. All the unknown creatures dropped dead taking the full brunt of the spell. Something strange happened, though.

All the creatures soon disintegrated into black mist which soon dispersed, leaving nothing behind.

 _Summoned creature? No, the effect was different than that._

"Aura, are you all right?"

"I'm all right, Ainz-sama! How about you?"

"There is no problem on my part. Still, those creatures were quite formidable compared to what we have encountered so far"

This was just Ainz's prediction, but from what had just happened, he guessed that those unknown creatures were at least around level 40 each, which was a level pretty much the average combatants from this world would never have any hope to beat. Also, judging from their aggressiveness, they should have already wiped out everything in this region since a long time ago, but there has been no sign of it happening.

 _Were those creatures new arrivals from somewhere?_

Ainz could not come into any definite conclusion since the information was still scarce. Therefore he decided to continue scouring the cave with Aura.

In one of the deepest rooms of the cave, Ainz discovered a bunch of troll and ogre corpses. But what caught his attention the most was the presence of an invisible creature clinging to the ceiling. Its invisibility would be good enough to fool the eyes of this world's residents, but not even close in regards of fooling his eyes.

"You there, come out from your meager invisibility and come to me"

The creature, the shape of which was of a snake with humanoid upper body, dispelled its invisibility and dropped down from the ceiling. It kept its distance from Ainz, looking very afraid and shivering.

"A naga eh? I am here to talk. If you cooperate, I will not kill you"

The creature slowly approached Ainz and prostrated in front of him.

"If thou art here, then this one believes thou had killed the vile creatures. This one bows to thou of great power"

"What are those creatures?"

"This one had no idea. They just appeared... from the ground, and killed everything"

"From the ground? But I didn't see any signs of burrowing around here"

"No, this one saw it... Many black mist appearing on the ground, and those creatures climbed out from the mist clouds"

 _Could that be some kind of gate? That means those creatures were either summoned or teleported. This could be bad..._

Despite further questioning, the naga claimed that he had no idea at all about what those creatures were and from where they came from. Ainz felt that this turn of events would lead to something much worse in the future, and he had to be even more cautious than ever.

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 **[X][X][X]**

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 **Afterword:**

 **And so the saga continues along with canon's volume 8, and once again with a departure from canon events.**

 **There's no Q &A this time since I see no questions asked, but I need to say something to one of the commenters. To the east of Kingdom is not the Roble Holy Kingdom, but the Empire. Roble Holy Kingdom is located far southwest from Re-Estize, with Slaine Theocracy inbetween the two.**


	26. Chapter 22: Let's Go to Carne Village

**Hi all! Sorry for the long delay. My life has been a little hectic lately.**

 **Without further ado, here's the next chapter.**

 **Cliffhanger warning again. ;)**

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 **[X][X][X]**

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"Good morning"

"Eh... what?"

Right after waking up, Ryu was quite confused for the fact that Alice had woken up before him. It would have been more believable if Lily was also awake, but he could see that she was still fast asleep on her bed.

"Being a sleepyhead doesn't necessarily mean that I can't wake up early"

Alice had just read Ryu's confusion perfectly.

"Well... I guess I will just take that"

Ryu said that as he stood up from his bed and instantly changed from his sleepwear into his battle suit.

"I have never seen that kind of magic"

"This is a common thing back in my place"

"Where is that place?"

"A great disaster has erased it, so it doesn't matter anymore"

"Alright, then. By the way..."

"Hmm?"

"Are you two married now?"

 _Not this again..._

Ryu let out a sigh. Alice must have seen the ring Lily wore when she had taken off her gauntlets before sleeping. This thing was already getting old, and he began to think that buying those rings had been a mistake.

"From your reaction, I guess not. So the rings are magic items I suppose"

"Yes, and thank you for saving me the speech"

Ryu laughed a little, feeling a little happy that he didn't have to explain the misunderstanding this time.

Lily woke up about five minutes later, and the three of them had their breakfast without much talk. All they discussed was about what to do for this day, and it didn't take long to agree that they would go to the guild and report their findings during the scouting trip to Katze Plains yesterday, even though they had found essentially nothing.

All three of them walked to the guild, and once they arrived they promptly went to the appropriate staff member for reporting their finds.

"We're glad to see you back! The Guildmaster instructed me to bring all of you to his office immediately once you come, so please follow me"

"Alright then"

They followed the staff member to Guildmaster's office, and just like always, Ainzach was sitting behind his desk. He looked very delighted seeing Ryu, Lily, and Alice.

"Ah, you made it! Thank the gods!"

"I don't think it's something worthy of celebration, Ainzach-dono"

"Of course it is! You went to a potentially very dangerous place and came back safe and sound! I have been worried sick, you know"

"Ah, sorry about that. It was already dark when we arrived back in town so we went to the inn and slept"

"It's alright. So, what did you find there? Were they the same monsters you know? But first thing first, have a seat"

All three of them sat on the vacant chairs in front of the Guildmaster's desk. Ryu leaned on the chair with arms folded and began speaking.

"Unfortunately, we didn't encounter the monsters responsible. All we found was a bunch of regular undead and..."

Ryu looked at Alice, hesitating to continue.

"The remains of my friends. Don't worry. I'm over it already"

"Yeah, we then cremated what were left of the bodies to give them proper closure"

Ainzach listened closely while nodding occasionally.

"I see. Let me express my condolences once again, Alice-san"

"Thank you"

"Still, it is worrying that now there are dangerous, unidentified monsters roaming Katze Plains. What's the chance of them being the ones from your place, Ryu-san?"

"It might not be them after all"

Ainzach leaned forward, looking interested hearing Ryu's words.

"Oh, what made you say that?"

"They have a high tendency to flock towards the energy of my people, so if it was really them we should have been attacked back then"

"Energy of your people? Could you elaborate on that?"

"Uhh... It's hard to explain, but the energy radiating from people here are different than the one from people in my place, me included. Those monsters are attracted to that, though they are naturally aggressive to begin with"

Ryu began to think that saying this might have been a mistake. He didn't want to specifically mention anything about photons and Darkers to any more people other than Ainz, so he had made things up on the fly, but keeping up with the fabricated info would be difficult even though what he just said was not technically a lie.

"So, Ryu-san. You're saying that the monsters in Katze Plains might not be the ones you know since you are a walking bait to them yet none of them got attracted to you?"

"More or less like that, yes"

"I see. However, the similarities of their traits are too much to be a coincidence, so I will still assume that they are the same"

Ryu couldn't help but agree with Ainzach. From Alice's telling, the monsters could have been definitely the fish Darkers he knew. Not getting attracted to him back then might had been a coincidence. The other possibility was that the Darkers had been commanded to fall back and lay low. But in that case, it would mean that there was a Dark Falz somewhere in Katze Plains.

 _Nah, if there was really a Dark Falz there, at least this city would have been demolished by Darkers since long ago._

"I have no objections to that. Better safe than sorry after all"

Ainzach then made a hand gesture to the staff lady standing near the door. She nodded, signifying that she understood, and left the room.

"We have prepared an announcement declaring that Katze Plains is now a high threat zone, I just gave her the signal to post it"

"I see"

"The plains has been recognized as a good hunting grounds, so this recent matter is quite a blow to the income of many adventurers. Also, the worry that the new monsters might come to the city will eventually push them into forming a raiding party to exterminate the monsters"

"I don't really recommend it"

"Indeed, Ryu-san. The limited visibility within the fog and the fact that the monsters seem to be very adept at ambushing makes going there a suicide"

 _That's not the actual reason, but I guess it works._

Ryu's actual reason was the fact that even in the case the raid party managed to kill the Darkers, the bodies left behind would begin spreading nasty Darker particles everywhere. Only photon attacks could effectively eradicate them, since in that case the dead bodies would almost immediately disintegrate into smoke and disappear.

Ryu didn't want to outright say that right now he was the only one in the kingdom capable of fighting them. The responsibility would be too heavy for him alone, and people would possibly accuse him of bringing those monsters with him. He was not and never wanted to be a hero. He was just a regular soldier and all he wanted was to survive and find a way home.

"Alice-san"

"Hmm...?"

"What are you going to do after this?"

"No idea actually. I still want to continue being an adventurer but... finding new partners might be hard"

Ainzach then looked at Ryu and spoke to him.

"This is just an idea, but Ryu-san, would you allow her to join your team?"

"Uhh..."

Ryu somewhat had seen this coming, but he was not prepared to give any answer. He actually would not mind having another partner, but he didn't know what would happen if someday Ainz needed his help again. Another thing to consider was how Alice would react once she knew that he had an affiliation with an undead being. Nobody in their right mind would see that as normal.

"I was just throwing an idea. You can disregard it if you wish"

"I personally would like to, but I'm currently in a bind by complicated circumstances"

"Oh, I have never heard of that. What kind of circumstances?"

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything at the moment"

"Well, I can't force you then"

Ryu then thought about it once again. Ainz was a very powerful being with a large number of subordinates, so he probably wouldn't need to call Ryu again anytime soon, unless another ARKS operative shows up again in his sight. The chance of that happening was not zero, but very unlikely. Moreover, this time he no longer owed anything to Ainz, so he decided to stop putting Ainz into consideration for his every action.

"Liz, would you like to join us?"

"Wouldn't I trouble you?"

"Maybe, maybe not. We will never know unless we try"

"But aren't you..."

"The circumstances are not as pressing as they had been until recently. So, Liz, you are welcome to join us"

Alice looked at Lily, who seemed to get the clue.

"I'm always fine with anything Ryu-san wishes! So no problem!"

Alice then stood up and faced towards Ryu.

"Then I will be in your care"

Alice bowed, and Ryu stood up, offering a handshake.

"Welcome to Ignite Maximus"

Alice shook hands with Ryu, and he could notice her smiling. But then he remembered something that might be complicated. He immediately looked at Ainzach.

"Ainzach-dono, what about her rank? I suppose you don't just instantly raise her to Orichalcum, right?"

"This kind of case has never happened before, so there is actually no rules covering the matter. Ah well, just work together for now while I try to figure it out"

"Alright then"

Later, the three of them went downstairs. Ryu thought of taking a job to see further on how Alice performed, and he also was quite bored after not taking a job for a while, so he immediately turned to the job board and browsed.

It only took a minute until something caught his interest.

"Carne Village?"

Of course Ryu remembered the name of the first human village he had visited upon coming to this planet. Moreover, he just recently met the girl from that particular village, so this job was probably requested by her.

"Serpent of The West, and Giant of The East... Looks like a serious matter. But..."

One weird thing about the note was that there was no ranking at all on it. On top of that, the note paper as a whole seemed to be a plain piece of paper with informal written message, unlike other job notes which had a guild header and a guild stamp on them, and also a definite writing format.

Ryu took the note and went to the receptionist staff.

"I want to know the deal about this note"

"Ah, about that... It is a special case. The requester didn't actually make the request. She just reported a situation in her village and notifying that she might make a request in the future for that"

"I see. It's just a little strange for me since I have never seen this kind of job note"

"Uh, you see, we normally wouldn't do this. But the requester is a friend of Momon, so we thought..."

"Alright then. I will go there and take a look"

The staff member couldn't hide her surprise hearing what Ryu had just said.

"M-May I ask why?"

"I have acquaintances at Carne Village, and I haven't seen them for a while so might as well pay them a visit"

"Oh, alright"

Soon, after some preparations, the three of them left the city of E-Rantel and walked towards Carne Village. Ryu knew the route since he and Lily had walked from the village to the city once before. Since it was still rather early, Ryu predicted that they would arrive by sunset if they walked at good pace.

"Hey, Ryu-san"

"Yes, Liz?"

"Is this the way your team works? You deciding which job to take without asking?"

Alice's question struck Ryu like a lightning bolt. She actually had a point, since normally a team leader would listen to the opinions of his members despite having the authority to decide the course of action of the team. He had been deciding everything himself because Lily, being technically his slave, would always agree to whatever he said. He had gotten too used to that.

Now that there was someone else in the team, with her own free will, it was probably a good time to change. But first, he had to reply to Alice.

"Actually, yes. It has been like this. But you can always voice your opinion"

"Hmm..."

"That applies to you too, Lily"

"Eh? But I only follow anything you decide, Ryu-san! My opinion is not needed!"

Ryu stopped his walk, faced Lily, and put both his hands on her shoulders.

"Lily, that's not true. You should not restrain yourself from speaking out your mind. We are partners, so if you feel that I have made a bad decision you should point that out, and if you have a good idea you should tell me"

Lily was speechless for a few seconds.

"...A-Alright, Ryu-san"

The three of them then resumed their walk.

"I think I can guess why your team has been working that way"

Ryu and Lily didn't reply, though a feeling of guilt creeped up inside Lily's mind. Nobody noticed it, though.

The rest of the trip to Carne Village was uneventful and, as Ryu had predicted, their destination was within sight by dusk. However, he noticed something different about the village from the last time he had been there.

"Fortification?"

The village now was fortified with a stone wall surrounding the perimeter, and the wall was too sophisticated for simple villagers like them to build. Ryu had never heard any news about this village ever since his first visit back then, so he had no idea how they had managed to build such wall.

"Too costly to build for such a small village. Something is fishy"

"Hmm..."

Ryu pondered about what to do, but before he could even begin thinking, Alice spoke out.

"I will go ahead and recon"

[Camouflage]

After casting the spell, Alice became half-transparent. From a distance it would be difficult to notice her presence.

"Wait here until I return"

"Be careful"

Ryu and Lily waited by sitting under a nearby tree. The sunset view was quite beautiful thanks to their position being a high ground, and therefore there was nearly nothing obstructing their sight to the distant mountain where the sun was descending from view.

They didn't enjoy the view for long, though.

"Enjoying the view?"

Alice was already next to them all of a sudden. She then dispelled the camouflage spell.

"What did you find?"

"I used a detection spell when I got close enough, and I sensed a group of goblins hiding in the bushes near the front gate"

"Probably guards, but that means the village had been occupied by them"

"I also sensed a few more behind the walls, but something was strange"

"What is strange?"

"The villagers seemed to be living normally along with the goblins"

"That is strange indeed... Oh I see"

"What is it? Did you remember something"

"Yeah. Let's just walk there normally. I will explain as we walk"

The three of them began walking towards the front gate of Carne Village. While walking, Ryu gave a brief explanation on how the village had been attacked by unknown knights but saved by a powerful magic caster, who later had given one of the villagers two copies of a magic item which would summon goblin allies.

"That kind of magic item is probably within National Treasure realm. Giving such item nonchalantly... who is this magic caster?"

"His name is Ainz Ooal Gown"

"I have never heard of that name"

Lily, without the other two noticing, smiled with pride and astonishment hearing the noble deed her father had done.

Once the group was close enough to the front gate, like expected, the goblins who had been hiding in the bushes came out with their hands ready to draw out their weapons anytime.

"Please state your intentions for coming here"

One of the goblins standing near the gate spoke. He sounded stiff and cautious.

"We saw a note on Adventurer's Guild about a situation here, and we are here to take a look"

The goblin whispered something to another goblin next to him, and that other goblin went to the gate, opened it slightly, and disappeared from sight.

"We apologize for the rather rude treatment. This village had been attacked in the past, so we are staying on guard"

"I know. I was here and I saw the aftermath"

The goblin looked surprised hearing Ryu's reply, but before he could inquire on that, the gate opened wide and the goblin who had went inside came out along with a girl Ryu knew; Enri Emmot. She looked quite delighted seeing Ryu.

"Ryu-dono!"

"It's nice to meet you again, Enri-san"

Enri immediately gave a sign to the goblins to let Ryu's group in. Once they entered all of them walked together to the village with a small conversation going right after Ryu introduced Lily and Alice to Enri.

"We met just yesterday, but I haven't asked. How are you doing, Ryu-dono?"

"I'm doing fine. I became an adventurer at E-Rantel and now I'm Orichalcum Rank"

"I actually don't know much about the ranks, but I suppose it is a high rank?"

Alice was the one to answer.

"It is the second highest rank. This guy is so powerful the guild let him skip ranks"

"Uhh, Liz..."

Ryu felt embarrassed. He didn't want to flaunt his combat capability despite what she had said being true. He was simply just a person who had been stranded in a place with very low standards.

"Really? That's wonderful! As expected of a friend of Ainz-sama!"

Enri said that in excitement. On the other hand, Alice seemed to be indifferent.

"Friend?"

"Ah yes, I haven't said that a few days before the incident in this village I met Ainz by chance and we walked together for a while. Not long after that day we separated and went our own ways, but it is still right to say that we are friends"

"Alright then.."

Enri lead the group into one of the vacant houses which used to be inhabited by those who were slain during the invasion. This particular house was just as ordinary looking as any other houses nearby.

"This one is regularly cleaned up in case of visitors. Please make yourselves at home"

"Thank you, Enri-san"

"If you need it, I can make dinner for you now"

"Thanks, but for tonight we still have our rations"

Ryu looked at Alice and Lily, and the two of them nodded.

"Is there something else you need, then?"

"Hmm..."

Ryu wanted to ask about the details of the situation, but the sky was already getting dark so he decided to save it for later.

"It's getting dark so let's save it for tomorrow"

"Alright then. Good night, everyone!"

"See you tomorrow, Enri-san"

"Uh-huh. See you"

"Good night, Enri-san!"

Enri then left the house. The three of them then put down their luggage on the floor and took out their ration, and then they sat down on chairs facing a table and began eating. Alice conjured a wisp of light to illuminate the room.

"Ryu-san"

"Hmm?"

"If you don't mind, would you tell me the story between you and this village?"

"Me too, Ryu-san! It happened before you had me, right?"

"Well, I don't mind"

Ryu then began telling Alice and Lily about the events which had happened at the village, though he omitted everything about Albedo and Nazarick. He made it so that it sounded like they had met by chance and walked together for a while, just like how he had been telling it to anyone else.

"So, after you separated with him, how did you meet Lily?"

Ryu was never prepared for that question, so he naturally had a mini heart attack inside his mind. His brain went into overdrive thinking what to say.

Too bad that Alice picked that up.

"You're trying to hide something from me"

Ryu was just speechless in surprise. He kept forgetting that Alice was really good at reading other people, and now he had to face the consequence.

"Not just this matter. Your story about this village, while not a lie, was not fully everything"

A feeling of guilt creeped up in Ryu's mind. Not even a day has passed since Alice joined his team and he had already made her feel her trust betrayed. He began to think that it had been a mistake to add a local resident into the team.

"I want to lecture you about trust, but I could sense your feeling of guilt, so I suppose you have a reason for hiding things"

There was a silence for about ten seconds. Alice, still being indifferent, folded her arms on the table and spoke again. Her face was like her usual sleepyhead face, but the atmosphere around her was heavy.

"Is it still possible for you to tell me the reason? Or is it something that will kill me if I know?"

"Well... I don't think you will die, but..."

Alice waited without changing her expression.

"You might point your weapon at me if you know"

"I won't do that, unless the attack was your own scheme, which I don't think so. Moreover, you're much stronger than me so doing that is pointless"

Another silence for ten seconds.

"You still hesitate to tell me anything. Alright then, I will make a guess"

Alice leaned to her chair and looked at Lily, who had been bowing her head and staying silent. She then looked at Ryu again.

"Back in your story, the end of it sounded weird. It was already dark and yet you and him just walked away. Don't you, at least yourself, need sleep and shelter for the night? I admit this is logic jumping, but I'm guessing that Ainz has a home somewhere and the two you arrived and left with teleportation spell"

Ryu stayed silent. He already resigned to the fact that there was no use trying to deny. The combined facts that Alice was good at reading people, and Ryu was an easy to read person, totally worked to his disadvantage.

"The way Lily has been behaving and talking, or the lack of it, and also seemingly always agree to anything you say despite not having been together for long, I'm guessing that she is not your partner but your slave"

She was pretty much correct in a sense.

"From your lack of reaction it seems I'm right on both accounts. Lastly, the timing of you separating with Ainz and meeting Lily seemed to be too convenient. I'm gonna make a guess that Ainz either created or summoned Lily, and gave her to you for whatever reason"

"Alright, alright. You got me good. Everything you said was pretty much correct"

Alice smiled a bit.

"No need to worry, Ryu-san. I understand"

The moment Alice said that, the heavy atmosphere around her seemed to disappear. Her face expression stayed pretty much the same, but her eyes radiated a feeling of warm sympathy.

"Understand what?"

"Slavery is forbidden in this kingdom, so you will be in trouble if they find out you have one. I understand that, so your secret is safe with me"

Alice was wrong on the last point. The main thing Ryu wanted to hide from her was the fact that Ainz was an undead. But Ryu felt that this could work so he decided to go with it.

"While it's technically true, Lily is our partner. She is equal to us, and I expect you to treat her so"

"You don't need to tell me that. From the first time I met you I knew that you're a good person"

"Then why the intense interrogation?"

"I was just teasing you"

Alice did a small giggle while Ryu facepalmed with a sigh, followed by a small laugh. Lily also laughed a little while shaking her head in resignation.

"Well, now that you know, I will just tell you that both Lily and me consider Ainz as her father"

"Wow, really? Does he know?"

"Well... he did once said that Lily was one of his children"

Ryu looked at Lily. He didn't know anything further than that, but since Lily had once spent some time in Nazarick without him something might had happened during that time.

"I call him Papa!"

Lily grinned saying that. Ryu got a little surprised hearing it.

 _Did Ainz really let her call him that? Alright, confirmed, I lost._

The three of them continued their chat for a while, and then they all went to sleep.

They all later woke up in the morning, but what woke them up was not the peaceful morning sun.

It was the loud tolling of the village's bell.

"What's happening out there?"

Ryu said that as he stood up from bed and instantly changed from his sleepwear into his battle suit.

"I will look. You two get ready"

He knew that both Lily and Alice needed some time to gear up unlike him, so he took the initiative to go out and assess the situation.

When Ryu got out from the house, he saw that the sky was already fairly bright so there should be no problem for visibility in case a battle would really happen. Without further pondering, he ran towards the bell tower, where one of the goblin guard was frantically tolling it over and over again.

"Hey, what's happening?!"

Ryu shouted to the goblin. He needed to know the situation.

"Monsters coming to the front gate!"

"What monsters?!"

"I don't know! I have never seen anything like those!"

Hearing that, Ryu immediately rushed to the watch tower near the front gate. Once he was there, he climbed the ladder quickly to see the monsters for himself.

"Oh, no..."

What he saw beyond the walls confirmed the worst fear which had been creeping inside his mind since the recent days.

The monsters coming towards the front gate were a swarm of Darkers.

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 **[X][X][X]**

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 **Afterword:**

 **It has been confirmed already since the last chapter, but indeed the monsters Ryu and his fellow soldiers regularly fight have joined the fray of Overlord verse.**

 **The following chapter is already in the works, so you won't be left hanging for too long. Hopefully.**


	27. Chapter 23: Darkers Arrive

**Hello, all!**

 **I said I wouldn't leave you hanging for too long, didn't I?**

 **Since I'm introducing new monsters, I have set up a gallery to help you in the monsters' looks.**

 **sta dot sh/216tgrre560**

 **As usual, you need to construct the link yourself since this site is bad with links.**

 **Without further ado, here's the next chapter. Cliffhanger is... well... do you consider a 'Next Arc Teaser' ending as a cliffhanger?**

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 **[X][X][X]**

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Carne Village was in danger.

Out of nowhere, a swarm of Darkers, monsters which by their nature corrupted and consumed planets, were charging towards the gates of the village.

One bright side was that the swarm only consisted of one type of Darker. To be exact, it was a swarm of Dagan.

Dagan was the most basic and common type of Darker. It was among the weakest of Darkers, but they always came in swarms. There were a total of three variants of Dagan; regular, El Dagan, and Dagan Nero. The latter two were much rarer than the regular but much more deadly because they were capable of doing attack moves the regular version couldn't do.

Thankfully, as far as Ryu could see, the entire swarm only consisted of regular Dagan. But their amount was massive.

There were a lot of things Ryu was worried about, but right now the most important thing to do was to fend off the swarm.

"That's a lot of monsters"

Alice suddenly spoke right next to him. Ryu then realized that she was floating right outside the watch tower with her Fly spell.

"Whoa! There are so many of them!"

Lily was also already standing next to him at the watch tower.

"Alice-san, Lily, I need you two to help evacuate every villager"

"Alright, Ryu-san!"

"Ryu-san. You seem to know them already. What are those?"

Ryu took a deep breath.

"They are monsters from where I came from"

"Like the fish monsters you talked about?"

"Yes, although these ones are weaker and more commonplace"

"I can already guess your answer but I will ask anyway. What are you going to do?"

"I will hold the line"

Ryu took out his Weddle Park rod and prepared his mind for battle.

"Listen. In case any of them gets past me, their weakness is the glowing core underneath their small body, and they are weak agains fire element"

"Understood"

"Prioritize survival. If you can't take them down, flee with all your might"

Lily and Alice nodded, and then they left the place to evacuate the villagers. Ryu looked at the oncoming swarm, and he could say that there were easily hundreds of them coming this way. It was much less than the undead horde he had ever fought, but depending on the tier of the Dagans this battle would be much more difficult.

Darkers passively absorb and consume the energy of the planet, and they get stronger over time without changing their appearance the more energy they have absorbed. ARKS categorize the power level of the Darkers into four tiers. Tier N being the weakest, followed by tier H, then tier VH, and finally tier SH. Ryu was already more than strong enough to fight SH Darkers, but the size of the coming swarm would easily overwhelm him if they were tier SH.

First thing first, Ryu activated his combat scanner, which came in the form of holographic interface panels in front of him. It allowed him to see the tier level of the Darkers. Soon enough, what he saw was quite a relief for him.

Tier H.

For Ryu, tier H Dagan were just a walk in the park. He could kill most tier H Darkers in one shot, and they wouldn't even be able to inflict any meaningful damage to him. However, for the residents in this planet, it was an entirely different story. Therefore, he had to make sure none of them got past.

Ryu jumped off from the watch tower and landed on top of the wall. He then positioned himself above the gate, immediately charged photon into his weapon, and began his attack.

 _Rafoie!_

 _Rafoie!_

 _Rafoie!_

Explosions occured in the middle of the swarm in quick succession. All Dagan caught in the blast were blasted off and disintegrated.

Ryu knew that Nafoie's fire field would be more effective, but this village was right next to a forest. He would risk causing a forest fire if he used that. Spamming Rafoie was his best option with the current situation.

Tens of explosions later, the swarm showed signs of diminishing. But Ryu ran out of photon energy and could no longer cast anything until it regenerated.

 _Photon Convert!_

Ryu activated a skill from his Techer subclass. It greatly accelerated the rate of photon energy recharge, at the cost of straining the body and causing continuous pain, effectively reducing his max HP. This effect lasts for 30 seconds.

With the skill activated, Ryu resumed spamming his explosion tech. The swarm diminished further, and it would be just a matter of minutes until all of the Dagan were killed.

However, a flying creature appeared behind the swarm and quickly zoomed to Ryu.

It was an El Ahda, a three meter tall flying Darker. Its body was somewhat humanoid with the exception of having no legs at all. In place of legs, it had a single long stinger like a wasp, and at the back of each of its arms there were a blade protruding, which it could use to slash its foes. Its wings protruded from its shoulders, and its head had a pair of long antenna similar to what roaches had. Like the Dagan, it has a glowing core as its weak point, located below its stomach right at the root of its stinger.

 _Oh shit!_

 _Rafoie!_

Ryu quickly aimed at the El Ahda and casted the same explosion tech at it. However, his aim missed and the explosion occured somewhere else.

The El Ahda zoomed past him narrowly and continued flying into the village, out of his tech range.

At this point, Ryu was in a conundrum. An El Ahda had broken into the village, but he still needed some time to exterminate the swarm of remaining Dagan. Moreover, the distraction caused by the El Ahda gave enough time for the Dagan swarm to approach the gate and start hacking on it with their clawed leg. Using Rafoie would blow up the gate and open it wide, so Ryu had to change his method.

He sheathed his Weddle Park rod and took his Seimei Kikami talis out. He threw the talis and stopped it when it was right above the Dagan group hacking at the gate.

 _Ramegid!_

A dark cloud formed at the talis' position and rained dark purple energy spheres. All the Dagan hit by the spheres disintegrated.

 _I can't leave my post now. Alice, Lily, please hold out until I can come._

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Quickly!"

"Forget your belongings. Save your lives"

Lily and Alice gathered all the villagers, most of them were just awake since it was quite early morning, into the village square. Enri and the goblins were doing a head count to make sure nobody would be left behind.

"Why aren't we fighting? We have been training for this kind of event!"

One of the villagers asked. A number of others agreed with him. But one of the goblins, seemingly the one in charge, replied.

"The monsters attacking are something none of us has ever seen! We can't risk fighting something we know nothing of!"

The villagers calmed down, but a feeling of unrest still lingered among them.

"Jugem-san. Do you think the monsters are dangerous?"

A villager lady asked. She looked very worried.

"As we speak, a high rank magic caster adventurer is holding the line by himself"

Jugem looked towards the direction where the gate was located. Everyone could see the distant figure of a man standing above the gate and series of explosions happening.

"Look at that power. If those monsters could get past him, I can't guarantee our chances of winning"

All the villagers just stood in silence while the head count progressed.

"Everyone's here!"

Hearing the news, Jugem raised his sword and shouted.

"Alright! Let's go! Evacuate to the woods!"

However, before they all could begin advancing, one of the villagers shouted.

"A flying monster! Incoming!"

Just like the villager said, a flying monster zoomed fast towards the crowd. If nothing stopped it, it would crash through the crowd and harm everyone caught in the way.

Lily quickly dashed to position herself between the coming monster and the villagers. She raised her shielded gauntlet, preparing to receive the force of the coming monster.

[Heavy Weight]

Lily suddenly felt her body becoming very heavy right before the monster crashed to her. But thanks to the additional weight her body remained firmly on the ground and the monster's charge stopped. It then distanced itself from Lily, seemingly trying to observe her while hovering a short distance off the ground.

"Sorry about that. Had no time to explain"

Alice said that with a magic circle on her hand pointed to Lily. She then dispelled the magic circle, and Lily felt her body weight returning to normal.

"That saved me, so I thank you"

While keeping a close look at the monster and maintaining her battle stance, Lily shouted at the villagers and goblins behind her.

"Get away while I hold this thing back!"

"No! We will fight with you!"

Jugem spoke out with great confidence. Immediately, another goblin continued for him.

"Yes, we are here to protect not only Ane-san, but her village as well! We can't stand the thought of abandoning the place Ane-san loves! Do you agree with me guys!?"

"OOOOOH!"

All of the goblins cheered, agreeing with him.

"You guys are hopeless..."

Alice said that with a straight tone and her usual sleepyhead face.

"Alright guys! Half of you come with me, while the remaining stay with the villagers and guard them as they retreat!"

Jugem spoke out. The goblins quickly separated themselves into two groups. The villagers slowly stepped away from the monster, trying not to make sudden movement that might agitate it.

"Don't crowd on the monster! Spread and surround it! Ready your bows in case it flies!"

One of the groups dispersed, positioning themselves at a distance around the monster, which had been doing nothing other than observing.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Back in the crowd of villagers, Nfirea, who had been standing next to Enri and her sister, stepped forward.

"I will help them"

"-Idiot! Run with me!"

"It can fly! If we don't kill it right here and now, it will catch up to us no matter what!"

Nfirea smiled, trying to assure Enri.

"I will be just supporting from behind. It likely won't attack me. Plus..."

Nfirea was silent for a few seconds.

"I want to protect the woman I love"

Without waiting for Enri's reply, Nfirea dashed forward. One of the goblins nearby laughed a little, looking delighted.

"Nicely done, Ani-san"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

[Reinforce Armor]

Lily's body let out a green glow, and she felt herself getting tougher. The goblins around the monster also let out the same glow, and she noticed one guy with a strange haircut casting the spell. She smiled in gratitude.

"Here I go!"

Lily dashed to the monster and slashed, aiming at the glowing core located at its lower body. While the monster was different, Lily assumed that the same principle Ryu had told her also applied here.

However, the monster blocked the strike with its arm blade and counter-slashed with the other arm. Thankfully, Lily raised her shield just in time to block it.

[Fire Javelin]

Alice casted a spell, and an energy bolt of fire was launched towards the monster. It was a direct hit to the glowing core, and the monster staggered. It then immediately looked at Alice.

"What are you looking at!?"

One goblin at the other side shouted and charged with a wooden club, and then he smacked at the monster's back. At the same time, Lily charged again and slashed at the core. This time, she hit it and the monster staggered again.

Suddenly, the monster turned around, reared a bit, and then shot a red laser from its stinger to the goblin who had just smacked it. The goblin tried to evade, but the unexpected attack still hit his wooden mace and right arm.

"Aaaargh!"

The goblin screamed in pain as the wooden mace, and also his right lower arm, disintegrated into liquid substance. The disintegration creeped up beyond his elbow and continued towards his shoulder.

"Tch!"

Jugem dashed to the poor goblin.

"I'm sorry about this!"

He slashed with his sword and amputated the right arm of the poor goblin near the shoulders. The cut off arm fell down to the ground and wholly melted into red liquid substance.

[Boost Maximize Magic: Minor Cure Wounds]

Alice casted a spell, and the poor goblin's right arm regenerated back. However, he could not move it at all.

"It will take a few days until you can move it again. Better retreat"

"Go back and live to fight another day!"

Jugem reinforced Alice's speech, and the poor goblin ran away from the battle.

While all those were happening, Lily had been clinging on the monster's back, trying to weight it down and stop it from moving. The monster slashed left and right trying to dislodge Lily, but Lily didn't let go at all.

"Liz-san! Again!"

[Heavy Weight]

Once again, Lily became much heavier than normal. The monster definitely felt that, and it dropped to the ground. Its core was wide open to attacks.

"Now!"

Lily shouted from underneath the monster's massive body. Without wasting any more time, Alice casted her attack spell.

[Triplet Maximize Magic: Fire Javelin]

Three bolts of fire energy emerged from Alice and struck the core of the monster. Then the surrounding goblins piled up on the monster and they all struck the core repeatedly.

"Get back, boys!"

Jugem commanded the goblins to disperse, which they did, and then he stabbed his sword into the core of the monster.

"That's for his arm"

Jugem pulled his sword off and stepped back. The monster was motionless for ten seconds. Everyone was still cautious and Lily still didn't let go of the monster.

Suddenly the monster leaped up, throwing Lily away. Alice dispelled the [Heavy Weight] just in time so she didn't take much damage from the fall.

[Triplet Maximize Magic: Fireball]

Three fireballs appeared and were launched towards the monster. They hit and the impact created an explosion which made the monster disappear from view. As soon as the smoke dispersed, the monster was visible again. It was swaying and seemed heavily injured, but it was still alive.

"This is bad. I am out of mana"

"I will do it!"

The guy who had been casting defensive spell said that, and he immediately casted a spell.

[Acid Arrow]

A bolt of caustic acid struck the monster's core. The monster once again staggered in pain, and then it looked at the one who had casted the spell.

The monster, seeming to be in a desperate attempt, zoomed fast to the guy with its arm ready to slash. It was so fast nobody could react to its action.

However, at the last second the monster suddenly stopped, and just two seconds later its core shattered and it dropped dead.

Everyone there was stunned on what they had just seen, and nobody knew what had happened. However, they got their answer soon.

"That was close"

Everyone looked up in the sky, where the voice had come from, and all villagers cheered in delight.

It was their savior, Ainz Ooal Gown.

Lily was a bit confused seeing her father wearing a weird mask and covered his arms in metal gauntlets, but she quickly understood that they were probably for hiding his undead nature.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Good thing Grasp Heart worked._

Ainz could have used any better suited spell, but at that moment the monster was too close to Nfirea, whom he wanted to keep alive.

 _Good grief, I already had a lot of things to do, and suddenly this happens._

Ainz had been busy trying to scout the entire Forest of Tob for the new unknown enemy, and so far he had found nothing. It was just this morning that the Kashin Koji spy had used a Message scroll to report to him about the thing happening at this village.

Ainz actually had been there since the beginning of the monster attack, lurking around and observing the battle while concealing himself with [Perfect Unknowable]. He wanted to gauge the strength of the monsters compared to Ryu and this world's combatants, but he had to step in because otherwise Nfirea, an important person to keep alive, would have been killed.

Ainz slowly descended down to the ground. The villagers cheered on him , but he raised his hand to signal them to quiet down, and they did so. He then approached the corpse of the monster to take a closer look.

 _So this is one of the planet-eating monsters which Ryu's army regularly fight?_

But before he could take a further look, suddenly three small dark cloud appeared near the corpse and shot dark lasers on it. The corpse immediately disintegrated into smoke.

Ainz knew very well who did that, and the person immediately came running.

"Is everyone alright? Ah, Ainz-dono. Thank you for your assistance"

"Ryu. I expect that you have a good reason for destroying the corpse of the monster"

"Yes. Their corpse if left alone would begin spreading their essence like spores, and they do nasty effects"

"Oh, so what should be done against that matter?"

"If killed with certain method, they will disintegrate, leaving no corpse. Or the corpse can be destroyed with the same method"

Ainz pondered about what Ryu just said. The bunch of monsters he had killed before had disintegrated upon death, which meant he had used the correct method. However, the one he had killed with [Grasp Heart] didn't disintegrate, so it was not the correct method.

 _So what is the correct method exactly?_

Ainz felt that he needed to collect more information about the monsters. Since this time Ryu was the only one knowledgeable about them, he would need to ask him directly.

 _If only Mel Rose is here as well. But then again, she is quite a loose cannon compared to Ryu. Might not be better in that case._

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

This planet is targeted by Darkers. That one is now confirmed.

On the bright side, ARKS would eventually come as well, and Ryu knew would be able to go home. However, since this planet was now on the list, he would eventually had to come back here from time to time as well.

The thing is, how should he spread the news in the meantime? Or should he just keep quiet?

This planet's civilization clearly was too low to accept the concept of interstellar travel and all that. Trying to spread it plainly would just make him look like a crazy delusional man. He could cover things up the same way he had been doing, but how long would it last? How much would he have to stack the lies?

 _My head hurts thinking about it. Ah well, maybe I should contact Mel Rose first._

Ryu activated his communication device to contact Mel Rose, but it didn't go through.

 _Strange. I could have sworn last night I still could pick her up if I wanted to._

With no contact attempt going through, Mel Rose was pretty much the same as Missing in Action for Ryu. He hoped that she was actually all right and she would eventually meet him again. He always could use extra help for fighting the Darkers.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Somewhere, in a distant unknown location.

A figure of a man wearing a long dark overcoat was standing still with his arms folded. His eyes were closed, as if he was concentrating on something. His short, rather spiky, magenta colored hair waved with the breezing wind.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes. The irises were of bright red color, and their sharpness clearly signified a determined look over his pale dark skinned face.

"Wiped out... Hmph... Figures"

He smiled. He was not upset despite what had just happened to the minions he had commanded. Instead, he was intrigued to the interesting thing he had found.

"That one puny ARKS knows someone of formidable power. Interesting"

He chuckled, which continued to a rather delighted laugh.

"I'm still not even close to his power, but that won't be for long. This planet is teeming with energy I can absorb, and soon I will be strong enough to challenge him, and beat him to submission"

He laughed again, being very excited.

"I will then absorb his energy. Only then, I will be able to return to my true body, and every single being on this planet will behold the true power of me! Dark Falz Elder!"

The man's sinister laugh echoed through the surroundings, but there was nothing to hear him other than the barren, foggy field.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Far eastward from E-Rantel, a wagon pulled by two horses was striding along the road. Its destination was Rothar, a city within the territory of Baharuth Empire located to the southwest of the empire's capital, Arwintar.

For any passerby, the wagon looked like any ordinary wagon with curved roof covered by plain cloth. The front and back openings were covered with cloth curtain, so nobody could see the cargo inside without moving the curtain aside.

The wagon was guarded by eight men; four at the front and four following behind the wagon. All the men were armed with either standard swords or spears, and they were all armored with either medium or light armor. They all sported a stern look on their face.

The rather scary face were there simply to deter any passerby from looking, because the contents of the cargo were illegal stuffs. To be more precise, the contents were a number of girls who had been kidnapped. These men were a group of human traffickers seeking to kidnap attractive girls and sell them to the black market within Rothar.

Inside the wagon, there were a total of five girls sitting on the seats built in at the inner sides of the wagon. All of them were restrained from moving anywhere. Their arms were tied up behind their back, and their legs were tied up at their ankles and knees. Their mouth were sealed with leather cloth and the same applied to their eyes, so they only could hear things happening.

There was a conversation going between the two men at the very front of the group.

"Can't believe we caught that many pretty girls today, eh boss?"

"Yep. Today we got an unexpectedly ripe harvest. I'm sure they will fetch a good price"

"Especially that one"

"Indeed. Once we find which noble family she belongs to, we will ransom her and get rich"

"It shouldn't be hard to track a noble family which has a lost daughter with long red hair and green eyes. Our network is very reliable when it comes to that"

The men laughed after that. Today was a very lucky day for them.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **With this, volume 8 is caught up. Next in line is Volume 5 equivalent, but since it is mainly about an internal conflict within Nazarick most of it will probably be "offscreen"**

* * *

 **Pre-emptive Q &A:**

* * *

 **Q:** What do the names of the Darker tiers mean?

 **A:** Normal, Hard, Very Hard, Super Hard. I merely made the game's difficulty level into my headcanon material.

* * *

 **Q:** How strong are the Darkers of each tier compared to New World?

 **A:**

N ~ Platinum Rank Adventurer

H ~ Orichalcum/Adamantite Rank Adventurer

VH ~ Slightly weaker than Evil Eye

SH ~ Narberal

Those are comparisons for regular mob Darkers. For larger, boss-level Darkers, about 10-15 levels should be added to the equivalent counterpart.

* * *

 **See you later**


	28. Chapter 24: Empire Visitor

**Hi, all! Author here again.**

 **Thank you for all those who have been following so far. Without me knowing it, this fic has already covered a total of five volumes (1 to 4, and 8) and I still plan to continue. Your comments so far are appreciated.**

 **I have recently noticed that you can't highlight and copy-paste the text in the story section, so I have put the links to the gallery in my bio page. This should make it easier if you want to take a look.**

 **Without further ado, here's the next one. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

It was a fine day over the border checkpoint which separated the territory of Re-Estize Kingdom and Baharuth Empire. The checkpoint building was a large fort with open land in its center and two main gates on its opposite sides. Within the walls of the fort there was enough land for parking at least five carts or wagons. Despite the availability of space, not many went through the checkpoint on daily basis. The officers stationed here often yawned in boredom.

Despite being officially recognized as a border checkpoint by both the Kingdom and the Empire, in practice it was not much more than a decoration placed along the road. The officers there were all from the Empire since the Kingdom didn't seem to care about people crossing into their territory. They were only assigned to check for and confiscate any illegal stuffs, but nobody with half a brain would go through the main road for transporting illegal stuff, unless they have strong political connections, impressive concealment method, or some other underhanded means. Those with none of the means would just take a detour away from the fort. Even with the authority's best efforts, they wouldn't be able to keep watch over the entire border all the time. So it was a given that things would get smuggled anyway. Especially the Black Dust drug from the Kingdom which has been spreading their influence on the people.

From time to time, merchant wagons, either a single wagon or a group of them, went through the checkpoint. Despite both countries being at warring state to each other, trades that were not of large scale were never hindered. This was mainly because the actual battle between the country only occured on an annual basis instead of year-round sustained conflict. Therefore, outside the battle period, any international trades between private individuals, guilds, and merchants still happened.

Some other times, adventurers also went through. Since both the Kingdom and the Empire had their own Adventurer's Guild, crossing the border was rarely needed to complete a job. But sometimes it still happened. For example, they might be hired to escort a merchant, or they might be taking a delivery job. In whichever case, the officers here would usually let them pass easily for a few reasons. One, adventurers were unrelated to political affairs, so the warring state was irrelevant. Two, most of them, if not all, were high-ranked adventurers who were much stronger than the knights stationed here, so getting on their bad side would never be worth it. One general guideline adopted by the guards was to take a look at their outfit. The weirder they look, the stronger they were likely to be, and therefore the easier the guards would let them pass.

One guard standing at the Kingdom side of the gate yawned for the 12th time since the beginning of his shift. He was armed and armored with the Empire's standard equipment. His job was to pay attention on anyone trying to pass through the gate and alert the officers inside if he found something suspicious. However, the lack of people passing through meant that his job was pretty much the same as to stand there all day doing nothing. He was so bored he counted the amount of times he had yawned.

"Aaahh... That's the 13th"

"Bored to death again, Dale?"

The other guard standing across the gate mouth spoke to the bored guard. Despite their distance being normally too far to talk without shouting, their surroundings were so quiet they only need to raise their volume a bit.

"Isn't that obvious, Niven?"

"Yeah, can't be helped. But if we're bored that means we're doing our job well"

"I see what you mean. It's not like they will cut our pay if nothing happens"

"We get paid for just standing here. There's nothing better than- Hey"

"What?"

"There's someone coming"

"Oh, finally something different happening"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

" _Are you all right, Rose?_ "

"Oh yeah, I'm totally fine, my dear Meru"

Rose's reply was spoken in an obviously sarcastic tone anyone would easily recognize. In truth, she was not so fine. She swayed as she walked, and she felt like she could faint anytime.

There had been no tough battle ever since she had separated from Ryu. She was not injured at all, so physical injury was not the cause of her bad condition. The real cause was actually simple.

She was starving.

She had not eaten anything for quite a while. The last thing she had eaten was the plain grilled fish from the lizardman tribe right before her battle with Cocytus, and that meant she had not been eating for more than 24 hours.

She had been trying to sustain herself with the liquid ration which was issued to all ARKS operatives before going on a mission. However, those liquid rations, namely Mate Drinks, were not made for that. They were medicinal photon drink, the main use of which was to instantly heal the drinker from physical injury. If the one drinking it was not injured, it would be the same as drinking plain water.

Normally, any ARKS operative could put down a teleporter to teleport back to their Gate Ship, which then would take them back to the ARKS spaceship. Thanks to the feature, none of the operatives ever considered bringing sustenance rations, or in simpler terms, food and drink rations. And now she was paying the price of that mindset.

In addition to that, she barely had any sleep last night. She had been following the dirt road but she had never seen any village or such, and she was not comfortable with camping out in the wilderness. She also had not seen any fellow travelers along the road. She had no idea whether she had been very unlucky or this road was one of those roads rarely used by people.

" _I... I think we should go back to Ryu"_

"And then what? Work with that evil overlord like him? Fat chance!"

" _But I don't think..."_

"You're too soft, Meru. That skeleton had no remorse having that many people killed. Who's to say he won't do any more mass killing in the future?"

" _..."_

"And who's to say that Ryu was not mind-controlled or something similar, probably through that girl?"

" _Rose..."_

"I will find the Gate Ship myself, go back home, and forget this planet ever existed"

Despite what she had just said, Rose was fully aware that the last point was impossible. ARKS had a secondary purpose of seeking possible peaceful colonization of habitable planets, and this planet met that condition. Eventually this planet would be on the list and she would be here again for future missions.

Nevertheless, right now she had to somehow find something to eat, or she would become too hungry to fight if she wasn't already.

"Hmm?"

She noticed a building at a distance. It seemed to be a fort situated between two hills. The road she was walking on would lead her straight to the front gate of that fort.

"Finally a settlement"

The sight of civilization had reinvigorated her. She hoped she would be able to get some food within that fort. Just in case she had to pay, she materialized a few silver and gold coins from her photon inventory and put them into one inner pocket of her parka.

When she got close, one of the two soldiers guarding the gate approached her.

"This is the border between Re-Estize Kingdom and Baharuth Empire. Are you intending to cross?"

"Rather than that, I want to ask for a favor"

Rose tried to behave as civilized as she could. Thanks to the existence of the mentioned secondary purpose of ARKS, she had been taught the basics of interacting with new people. Still, she still remained on her natural personality so she wouldn't sound faked.

"What favor?"

"I... haven't eaten anything since yesterday. Is there any food I can have? I can pay if needed"

The guard seemed a little surprised hearing that. He looked at the other guard, and that guard approached.

"What's the matter?"

"She said she has not eaten anything since yesterday. Do you think you can...?"

The other guard then took a small pouch which had been strapped to his waist on the left side, and gave it to the first guard, who then gave it to Rose.

"This is not much, but you can have this. Rest yourself on that rock"

The guard pointed at a nearby rock which was just tall enough to be used as a natural chair. Rose bowed in thanks and went to sit on the rock. She opened the pouch and saw that it contained only a small bread with a slice of dried meat. Not even close to quench her hunger, but still better than nothing. There was also a small leather water jug inside the pouch.

Rose ate and drank them all within three minutes, and then she returned to the gate.

"Thank you for the food and water. How much is it?"

Rose said that as she returned the pouch to the original owner.

"No need"

The other guard continued for him.

"He stole them from the kitchen this morning. He will be in trouble if he get money from that and the ones upstairs find out"

He laughed a little saying that.

"So, can I buy more of the food?"

"Unfortunately no. Every food here is heavily regulated for working staffs. Sorry about that"

"Oh..."

"Now then, are you going to cross the border?"

Rose had never expected that she was this close to a country border. All she wanted was to get as far away as possible before that evil overlord did something crazy.

"Yes, I think so"

"Then walk straight and enter the duty station over there. A staff will assist you"

Rose then walked towards the duty station pointed by the guard. Surprisingly, she didn't get questioned heavily like she had been expecting. They only asked for her name and the purpose of her visit, and then after the assigned staff wrote a few things on paper, she was allowed to proceed. On a few occasions before she left the fort, she could hear some whispers between the staffs, but she couldn't make anything out other than one word; Adventurer.

 _They probably thought that I am an adventurer. Oh well, whatever._

Rose walked for quite a while, still following the dirt road. She was a little better thanks to the food from the guard, but she was still starving and the fact that she was sleep deprived had not changed.

" _Rose"_

"What?"

" _Let me switch with you. Go sleep inside"_

"Does it even work like that? It's still the same body we're sharing, you know"

" _At least let me try"_

Rose looked around to make sure nobody else was around, and then she let out a little sigh.

"Alright, though I don't know if we will actually switch"

Rose and Meru mentally agreed to switch, and a second later they switched. The most obvious sign was the outfit instantly changing from what Rose wore into what Meru wore.

" _Well, that was surprisingly easy this time"_

"Rest well, Rose. I will continue walking"

" _Alright, doesn't hurt to try. Don't screw up while I am sleeping"_

Meru nodded in determination.

* * *

 *****Gilligan Cut*****

* * *

"Y _ou really screwed up while I was sleeping!?"_

Rose couldn't imagine what kind of goof up Meru had done during Rose's mental slumber. All she knew was that when she woke up she couldn't see anything outside. Meru, in deep regret, had mentally told her that now she was tied up, gagged, and blindfolded inside a moving wagon.

" _What the friggin hell happened!?"_

" _I-I just asked for directions. They offered me a ride"_

" _And then?"_

" _W-When I was about to climb into their wagon, one of them suddenly grabbed me"_

" _And you didn't fight back?"_

" _But... If I fought back... They would die..."_

Rose mentally facepalmed. Meru was just too soft to a fault. She really wondered where Meru had gotten the determination to kill that humanoid insect creature back then from.

" _Use your common sense, my dear Meru! Those people are definitely criminals! They are worthless human beings!"_

" _But..."_

" _Ah, nevermind. You're hopeless"_

" _Sorry..."_

" _But there's a silver lining here"_

" _What...?"_

" _They are most likely transporting us to either a city or their home base. In either case, we can make use of it"_

" _Uhh...?"_

" _We obviously can't switch or they will notice. Just enjoy the ride in the meantime"_

" _But it's uncomfortable..."_

" _It's your fault that we are in this situation to begin with. Consider that your punishment"_

" _Oh... Alright then..."_

" _Really, Meru. You're hopeless"_

" _Sorry..."_

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"So, Ryu, what can you tell me about those monsters?"

Ainz was personally interrogating Ryu inside the throne room of Fake Nazarick. Other than the two of them, there was only Aura keeping watch over the surroundings. She was standing by outside, and just in case, Ainz covered the throne room with protective spells so nobody would hear their conversation. Both of them were standing in the middle of the room, facing each other.

"Do not worry about your story sounding like it doesn't make sense. I have a reason I don't want to disclose, but I fully believe you about space travel and all that, because I know it can be done"

Ainz knew that he had to reassure Ryu, since he had erased the memories of himself actually coming from a modern civilization from Ryu's head. Ryu might still had his doubts since the level of civilization in this world, including Nazarick, would normally have a hard time accepting info about space travel.

 _I guess I'm the only one in this world who would take him seriously. And possibly other players if there are any out there._

"They were indeed Darkers. The monsters ARKS regularly fight"

"Any idea about how they found their way here?"

"Unfortunately no"

"Now that they are here in this world, ARKS will come too, won't they?"

"They should, but there is no telling when"

"What would you do in the meantime?"

"I'm not really sure. Usually we have people in charge for spreading awareness to the local inhabitants, but right now there's nobody to do that job and the locals here are-"

"I fully understand that. Right now it's very likely that I am the only one in this world who will take you seriously. Moreover, you will likely become a target of blame if you try to spread it now"

"I'm fully aware of that, which is why I don't know what I should do now"

Ryu folded his arms and let out a sigh. Ainz knew very well that when faced with a grave problem, what humanity wanted was not a solution. Solution was what they needed, but what they really wanted was someone to blame, just to make themselves feel better. His previous life had taught him that multiple times.

As of right now, Ryu was the only one who could be related to the presence of the new monsters. According to a recent short verbal report from the Kashin Koji spy through Message, Ainz could conclude that Darkers were attracted to ARKS, so putting him to blame would actually be not far off the mark. However, he could sense that there were more things than just those.

 _I think the most crucial info I must get now is how to properly exterminate the Darkers._

"Let's put that aside. For now I want you to tell me in more detail about the correct way to exterminate the monsters"

"It's actually simple. Photon attacks"

"Are you telling me that only ARKS soldiers like you and Mel Rose can properly exterminate them?"

"Unfortunately, yes"

"Is their body disintegrating the absolute sure sign that they have been killed with the correct method?"

"Yes"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes. Why are you asking that?"

Ainz went into deep thought again. He was wondering if he should tell Ryu that he had once killed a bunch of Darkers which then disintegrated.

In the end, he decided to tell the truth, since it was a fact that those monsters were invading this world and he believed that it would be a grave problem for everyone including Nazarick, so all info must be circulated to both sides.

"Two days ago, I encountered a bunch of those monsters. The same ones as those you fought at the gate. After I killed them, their body disintegrated"

Ainz could clearly see that Ryu was surprised hearing that.

"What? How is that possible? What did you use to kill them?"

"Lightning magic. But as you know, the one I recently killed didn't disintegrate"

"True. What did you use on that one?"

"It was a spell that causes instant death by crushing the heart"

Ryu bowed his head with his arms still folded. It was clear that he was trying to process the information Ainz had just told him about.

"Information is lacking, but from the limited info I can make a guess"

"Speak it out then"

"Photon attacks and this world's magic might be not so different after all"

"An interesting conclusion"

In his mind, Ainz more or less agreed with Ryu. As far as he had seen, Ryu's techs were in essence the same as arcane elemental spells. Both of them were, to put it simply, manipulation of energy into destructive projection. If they were essentially the same like that, then he might be able to learn to cast Ryu's techs. The sign of potential new things to learn excited his mind, but he kept himself calm because they were discussing a serious matter.

"So, Ryu. Does that mean a physical attacker ARKS like Rose would be the same as using an enchanted weapon for this world's combatants?"

"Maybe, but since there is still no evidence on that matter, I can't say for sure"

"Indeed. Speaking of which, do you know where she is? An extra hand will always be useful"

"My communication device couldn't pick her up since last night"

Ainz considered the option of searching for her, but he quickly came into conclusion that spending manpower and resources to search for a loose cannon that might not cooperate would never be worth it.

"Is it broken or such?"

"It should be still working fine, but I will check. Give me a min"

Ryu then turned his body to the left, and within seconds a bunch of holographic interface panels appeared in front of him.

 _What the...!? Am I seeing a real life version of game UI? Uohhh, fascinating!_

Of course the contents of the panels were not YGGDRASIL stuffs, but Ainz was pretty much the same as seeing another player opening their interface menu, which he could never do ever since he had come to this world. Seeing what Ryu was doing piqued his interest on how much the technology of ARKS had advanced compared to Earth technology he remembered.

"Ah, so that's it"

Ryu said that, and then he immediately closed all the interface panels.

"What did you find?"

"It is in safe mode, which has very limited range"

"Can you reactivate it?"

"Let me try"

Ryu then raised his left hand to reach his left ear. His hand seemed to give out a blue glow for a moment, and soon the area around his left ear followed. However, it was soon followed by electricity waves and suddenly...

 **BOOM!**

An explosion occured at his head.

 _What?!_

"Ryu. Are you alright?"

Ainz heard some coughing behind the smokes produced by the explosion. It was at least a good sign that Ryu was fine. Ainz himself then gave out a green glow, which he remembered as the area healing spell Ryu was capable of casting.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My photon armor protected me from fatal injury and I have healed myself. The bad news is, now my communication device is completely broken"

"So inconvenient"

"So, Ainz-dono. Do you have any suggestions about what we should do?"

 _How about telling those ARKS to hurry up and come? My hands are full already!_

Ainz wanted to say that, but he knew that Ryu was currently unable to make any contact, and the matter at hand was too much for Ryu alone. There was no choice but to get involved.

 _First there was gathering information, then fortify defense, then find out the culprit of Shalltear's brainwashing and exact retribution, all while ensuring the survival of Nazarick. Those are already overwhelming for me, and yet now there's an alien invasion. My head hurts..._

"I will discuss this with my guardians soon. In the meantime, I'm going assign more guards around Carne Village"

"Thank you for the consideration"

"Also, take these"

Ainz took out two Flight Necklace from his inventory and gave them to Ryu.

"With the recent events unfolding, you may need to move around quickly"

"Uhh... two?"

"Isn't it obvious? One for you, and one for Lily. Your new member can cast Fly herself, can't she?"

"So you know already. As expected of you, Ainz-dono. You have ears everywhere"

 _Ah crap. I slipped again_.

Despite the slip up, Ainz actually felt a little relieved that Ryu was impressed instead of becoming skeptical after hearing it.

"You can't be too careful in an unknown world. Uhh, tell you what, here's another"

Ainz procured another Flight Necklace and gave it to Ryu.

"This should help her conserve mana"

"Woah, thank you, Ainz-dono"

"Don't feel indebted for this. I'm merely supplying you with more tools to fight against the pressing matter. You still owe me nothing"

Despite what he said, Ainz knew that Ryu would feel indebted anyway, judging from his personality. At least saying those would very likely put himself in a better light in Ryu's mind.

"Thank you. This will definitely help"

"Speaking of conserving mana, please do me a favor and tell your new member to lower her use of metamagic"

"Metamagic?"

"Most magic in this world can be amplified with metamagic prefixes. For example, Twin metamagic makes a Magic Arrow spell creates two projectiles at once. There are various metamagic prefixes, and a spell can be enhanced with up to two different metamagic"

"Oh, sounds interesting"

"But the thing is, applying metamagic enhancements spikes up the mana cost with bad efficiency. Like in my example before, it is cheaper to cast Magic Arrow twice than using Twin metamagic"

"So it's value is for quick burst damage"

"Indeed. I saw her using Triplet Maximize enhancement twice in a row, and the second one was on Fireball, an already expensive spell for this world's magic caster. And as expected, her mana ran dry quickly"

"I see. Thank you for the advice. I will make sure to tell her"

"You better. As a magic caster it pains me to see another caster performing inefficiently"

Ainz began walking towards the door, signaling Ryu to follow.

"Let's go back to the village. There are still a few things to take care of"

"Alright"

Ainz and Ryu went back to Carne Village with [Gate] spell. Upon arrival, they were immediately crowded by villagers wanting to express their gratitude. Ainz tried his best not to ignore their good will, but his mind was completely elsewhere.

 _I wonder where Mel Rose is right now. While I don't think it is worth spending manpower and resources looking for her, I would still be happy to have another ARKS fighting the Darkers._

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"There you go. All still alive"

" _Thank you, Rose_ "

Rose had just wrought havoc on the underground confinement center where victims of human trafficking were usually kept before they got sold. There had been quite a number of shady men guarding the place, but Rose incapacitated them by smacking them all with the scabbard of her katana.

"Really, don't ever ask me to do this again"

What Rose had just done was not an easy feat because no Photon Art covered that kind of combat maneuver, so she had to come up with it herself. In addition, she had to suppress her photon energy or otherwise all of the bad guys would get killed anyway from the blunt force.

Rose did a bit of stretching after felling the last man. The trip had lasted longer than she expected, spanning over two nights. Her body felt sore in several parts because she, as Meru, had spent most of the trip sitting down while tied up, being untied only during meals. She still could see the aching rope marks on her knees.

However, while uncomfortable, the trip provided her with sufficient sleep and food. Right now, putting aside the soreness, she was in her prime condition. In addition, she had heard that this underground facility was located within a city, so thanks to the bad guys she finally arrived at a civilization.

"Let's free the others"

After making sure that all the bad guys were incapacitated, Rose went down back to the prison cell where the kidnapped girls, including herself ten minutes earlier, were held. All four of the other girls were standing still, looking astonished and afraid.

"I have knocked out the bad guys. Now scram"

All of them, still looking afraid, slowly walked towards the barred door where Rose was standing. However, one of them suddenly pointed her fingers and screamed.

"Behind you!"

Rose quickly looked behind her. One of the bad guys she had knocked out had gotten back up and now he was slashing at Rose with his sword. By the time Rose realized this, the slash was already midway and it was impossible to evade. Out of reflex, she raised her scabbard to block the attack, and it succeeded.

However...

 _Oh crap_

As part of the photon alignment set up within her katana, a successful last second blocking would be followed by a counter slash. Immediately, Rose's hand moved by itself to unsheathe the katana, and then she did a single slash to the guy.

As the result, the guy was split in two with a diagonal line from his right belly to left armpit. The left arm was also cut off near the shoulders.

A great amount of blood spurted over Rose's face and clothes, and a pool of blood was created on the floor.

"EEEEEK!"

All the girls behind Rose screamed in horror at what they have just seen. Rose stepped aside from the door, and looked at the girls with straight face.

"Just scram"

Without any words, all the girls ran away screaming. After being left alone, Rose dropped down to a crouch and reached her face with her hand. A blue glow appeared around her hand, and all the blood stains disappeared from her body.

"Guess I screwed up"

" _Can't be helped"_

"Let's just get out of here"

Rose then put her katana back into her photon inventory and walked out from the confinement facility to the shady alleyway outside. After a bit more walking, she finally arrived at the busy part of the town.

It was still not too far from morning, and there were many people walking in the area doing their own business. She could notice some merchant stands and people bargaining, and also a few guards in uniform patrolling around. This was the first time she saw old fashioned human civilization, so it was natural that she got astonished.

"Well, well, look at that. Amazing isn't it?"

" _I have never seen anything like this"_

"Of course you haven't. Anyway..."

Rose looked around and pondered with her arms folded.

"Where should I go from here...?"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Like I once said, since volume 5 is mainly about an internal conflict happening at a distant place, most canon events during that time will be offscreen with some mentions to keep track of the timeline. Though my timeline management is not so good, so timeline clash might still happen.**

* * *

 **Q And A:**

* * *

 **Q:** Has Ryu ever tried to learn magic or martial arts?

 **A:** Not yet. Maybe he will someday.

* * *

 **See you later**


	29. Chapter 25: Reveal Identity

**Hi, all!**

 **Before I start the next chapter, I'd like to reply to a recent guest review by Shinku.**

 **Thank you for the comment. It felt nice for me to finally see a PSO2 player reading my side hobby story. I actually have picked up the game again since June, and there were a lot of content I had to catch up, but so far I had fun. My MelRose game character actually has almost maxed both Dark Blast, but the Meru/Rose character in this story is based on the MelRose of two years ago, back at the time when Force/Techer still didn't have access to Type-0 techs but already had compound techs. And as you may know already, Ryu is based on SEA server so not even compound tech is accessible for him.**

 **With that done with, here is the next chapter, with another cliffhanger warning. You can hate me a little bit more for that. :P**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

It was a dark night time in a wilderness somewhere in the Baharuth Empire.

A merchant wagon was parked near a small pond. The people there were sitting in a circle formation around a campfire, each of them holding a bowl of simple soup and eating quietly. In total, there were six persons; The owner of the wagon and his assistant, and four Gold Rank adventurers as their escort. All of them were men.

The merchant, Damian, has done this trip a lot of times throughout the years of his career. It was a simple trip from Arwintar to Rothar to open up shop for a week, and then return back home. The escorts were needed thanks to the potential threat of bandits and monsters. In practice, a decently strong Silver Rank team should be sufficient for this trip, but the cargo Damian was carrying was quite a lot more valuable than usual, so he had made precautions.

"At this rate, we should reach Rothar by noon tomorrow"

The ranger of the adventurer group, who was also the leader, spoke while looking at the stars in the sky. His short brown hair waved a little under the night breeze while his matching brown eyes observed the formation of the stars.

"The quest note says that we are free to do anything while you open up shop, is that correct?"

A dark-skinned muscular man, the warrior of the group, asked while still holding his bowl and spoon. His sleeveless top exposed his entire bulky arms which definitely was capable of heavy lifting. His shoulder length hair was rugged not because of style, but because it was totally untreated.

"Yes. I only require you to be with me again to escort me back to Arwintar in the following week"

The warrior nodded, signifying that he understood.

"Then we can go to Rothar's guild and take some light jobs to earn some coins in the meantime"

"I highly recommend that since, as the note should say, I don't provide any accomodation or additional payment for it"

The ranger resumed his dining after hearing Damian's reply to the warrior.

"The payment by itself is good, and a trip to another city is a nice change of pa- Who's there?!"

He suddenly sensed a presence not too far from their spot. Damian and his assistant were startled while the adventurers stood up quickly with their weapons readied. Their bowls dropped to the ground and spilled all the soup, but they didn't care. It was much better to be ready, and dying because of late reaction thanks to gently putting down a bowl of soup would never make a good story.

"W-What is it? A monster? Bandit?"

Damian's assistant was clearly frightened. He had never experienced this kind of event. Damian on the other hand, calmly but swiftly went to his wagon and readied himself to drive it away at full speed in case the worst happened. His assistant promptly followed.

"I sense something coming from that direction"

The ranger pointed at the nearby group of trees and bushes which were simply part of a nearby forest. There was no light source at all at that area, so nothing could be seen.

However, soon they saw what came out from the bushes.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Here you go"

"Thanks"

Rose, having just come out from the confinement facility, had decided to take a break and go sightseeing for a little while. She had just bought two large grilled meat skewers from one of the many shop stands in the market district of Rothar. She actually couldn't eat that much, but that was the amount she could get with a single silver coin, and the seller just happened to not having any copper coins for change.

Rose went to an alleyway, made sure nobody was looking, and put one of the skewers into her photon inventory. She then came back to the open while eating the other one.

Rose aimlessly wandered around town, eventually getting bored of the market district and deciding to leave it. She continued walking randomly, and soon she arrived at an entrance gate of the city.

She was about to turn back, but she noticed that there was a commotion near the gate. Being curious, she came closer to see what was happening.

"Demon! It was a demon! I tell you!"

The one shouting was a rather aged man wearing what seemed to be the getup people of higher wealth usually wore. He was shouting at one of the guards, and his face looked really frightened. Right behind him was a merchant wagon, and next to the wagon there were four men looking really devastated and shivering. One of them seemed to be a commoner, but the remaining three seemed to be adventurers, judging from their equipment.

"These guys also saw that demon!"

"Calm down. We can't understand you if you're freaking out like that"

One of the guards on duty told the aged man to collect himself. The aged man then took a deep breath, and there was a silence for a few seconds.

"We were camping out at night. It was so sudden. That demon came out from the bushes"

"That demon... so only one?"

"Yes! I would never forget those sinister horns and bright red left eye!"

"And then what happened?"

"I don't know! It happened so fast, and all I could hear was a metallic sound and suddenly one of my escorts dropped dead!"

"How did you escape?"

"The demon, for some reason, retreated into the woods after killing him. I really thought that I was dead!"

The guard then told something to a nearby fellow guard.

"Go to headquarters and report this"

"Yes, sir!"

The one being told then quickly got on a horse and dashed away with it.

"You should also go and report this matter to Adventurer's Guild"

Rose, hearing all that, got a little interested. So far she had only been told about by Ryu on the topic of how low the standards of this planet was when it came to battle power, with the exception of that evil overlord. Now that by coincidence a big threat had emerged, she wanted to see if this demon was as threatening as the people made it out to be.

"This might be interesting"

" _Please be careful, Rose"_

"Yeah I know"

Not long after, the devastated men went back into the merchant wagon and drove it away. Rose followed the wagon from a distance. Thanks to the rather narrow road making pedestrians and wagons share the same lane, a normal walking pace was enough to keep the wagon in sight.

About twenty minutes later, the wagon stopped at a rather large three story building. All the men got off the wagon and entered the building.

"Is that what they call as Adventurer's Guild?"

Rose said that to herself while leaning on the wall across the road. Thanks to Ryu she knew a thing or two about Adventurer's Guild and how they worked. But unlike Ryu, she was not interested in becoming one of them.

" _Rose"_

" _What?_ "

" _Please remember to prepare food and water"_

" _Oh, yeah. What a bother..."_

Rose then walked away from the place, intending to get some rations for herself in case the demon slaying trip would last for quite a while.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"So, that one is your father?"

"Yes, Liz-san! That's Papa!"

Alice and Lily were sitting on the ground under the shade of a tree, at a distance from the crowd of villagers surrounding Ainz and Ryu. The villagers, goblins included, were very eager to express their gratitude to their savior.

"Nobody else knows that, right? Better keep it that way"

"Hmm!"

Lily nodded in agreement.

"So, why is he wearing a sinister looking mask like that?"

"I don't know. I have never seen him wearing mask before"

"That's strange"

There was a silence for about twenty seconds.

"You know, I can't help feeling kinda betrayed right now. We worked hard to protect them from that monster, but now he is the one raking in all the gratitude"

"Really? I don't feel like that"

"Ah well, it's human nature to only notice the one bringing the final result"

Lily and Alice kept waiting there until a few minutes later, when Ryu walked away from the crowd and approached them.

"Are you two all right?"

"I'm all right, Ryu-san!"

"My mana is dry, but other than that I'm fine"

"Glad to hear that. I'm sorry that you had to face the El Ahda without me"

"Is that the name of the monster?"

"Yes"

"Your people fight these monsters regularly?"

"Yes..."

"I'm beginning to wonder how tough the life over there was"

"Well, in any case, Ainz-dono gave all three of us a gift"

Ryu then took three necklaces with wing-shaped head from his coat's inner pocket. Lily recognized what the necklaces were, but Alice was left wondering.

"What is this?"

Alice asked that as she took one of the necklaces.

"This is a magic item containing Fly spell"

There was a slight expression change on Alice's face for a very short moment. She was surprised beyond what her mind could comprehend.

"Are you telling me that wearing this necklace enables me to use Fly without spending mana?"

"Well, yes. I think so"

"Really, the worth of just one of this can make a dent in a noble's treasury, and he just gave away three?"

"He acknowledged me as the only person he knows who has knowledge and fighting experience against those monsters, so he decided to supply me with a mean to go places quickly"

"I can understand that, but why I got one too? At least Lily is his daughter, but I just saw him today"

"Well, he did at first only gave two but he added one more, saying that this should help you conserve mana"

Alice let out a sigh and put the necklace on.

"I will just go with that. His wealth is beyond my comprehension"

"Can I use that too, Ryu-san?"

"Why not? That's the reason Ainz-dono gave me three, right?"

Lily then reluctantly took one of the remaining two necklaces and put it on. Ryu also did the same with the last necklace.

"Let's try using this when we go back to E-Rantel later"

A few minutes later, the crowd of villagers and goblins dispersed to go back to their own business. Ainz then approached Ryu's group and looked at Alice.

"I suppose an introduction is required. I am Ainz Ooal Gown"

Alice bowed in respect and replied.

"It is an honor to meet you, Ainz Ooal Gown. My name is Alice Vegelshaft, and I am very thankful for the gift you gave to me"

"A new threat has emerged and Ryu here is the only one knowledgeable about it. It is naturally of utmost importance to help him with the best of my ability. Speaking of which..."

Ainz looked at Ryu.

"I would like you to come with me for a while"

"I don't mind, but would you tell me what it is for?"

"I want to conduct some research about the method to fight the monsters, and I want you to help with that"

"I see, but what about h- them?"

Ryu looked at Alice, and then shifted his eyes to Lily. At this point Alice let out a small sigh and folded her arms. Once again she noticed that Ryu was trying to hide something from her.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Oh god he's so terrible at it_.

Even Ainz himself could notice that Ryu was acting a little strange in front of his partners. He probably was concerned about the new member finding out that Ainz was an undead if she was brought along to Nazarick, but he was so terrible at hiding that concern.

 _And she definitely noticed that too. Why did he have to recruit a local adventurer, and a sharp one at that?_

The Kashin Koji spy had also verbally reported through Message about Alice joining Ryu's team and how capable she was on reading people. This had made Ainz's head hurt since combined with Ryu being an easy to read person, this would put his identity concealment in jeopardy.

 _Ahh, whatever. This is definitely beyond help. If I'm already wet might as well jump into the water._

"Ryu, you don't need to concern about that. I see no need to hide anything from the partners you trust. Though indeed for the villagers it is a different story"

Ainz then came closer to Alice and looked around, making sure that none of the villagers were looking this way. But just in case he silently casted a few concealment spells to mask the area around them.

"Alice, let me tell you that Ryu has been hiding this fact out of his goodwill for me. Please don't blame him for it"

Ainz then put his right hand on his masked face and slowly took it off. It was then that his skeletal face was revealed to Alice, who strangely looked indifferent. He then put the mask on again.

"An undead, huh? Figures..."

Ryu couldn't hide his surprise on the lack of reaction from Alice.

"You knew already?"

"Of course not. It's just that from the moment he raised his hand to open his mask I figured I would see something freaky"

"So, Alice, now that you know this fact, what are you going to do?"

"Nothing. In fact, I'm now interested in you"

 _What?_

"For an undead, you are very powerful and cultured. I bet that you have lived for a very long time, and I really want to learn from you about things you have seen in distant past"

 _Very long time my ass! Not even two months has passed since the day I arrived here!_

Ainz cleared his throat, trying to buy time to figure out what to say in response.

"That unfortunately should be saved for later"

"I can agree with that"

"I believe that you know already, but I must remind you that my nature should be kept secret for now"

"I am very aware of that, as you said"

"Now let's get back to business. I want Ryu to come with me, but I unfortunately can't allow you to be in my domain for a reason I don't want to disclose"

"Too bad, but can't be helped then"

Alice said that while shrugging.

"You seem to agree rather easily, don't you?"

"I know very well that arguing against you is pointless"

 _While she is right in a sense, I can't help feeling a little offended. Ah, whatever._

"As for Lily, I believe it is best for you to stay here with Alice"

"Alright, Papa!"

"D-Don't say that out loud in a place like this!"

Lily laughed cheerfully, and Alice let out a small giggle. Right now Ainz was very glad that he had put up all those concealment spells. He also realized something interesting about Lily.

 _She is a Loyal Dog with Ryu as her master, but why did she just obey me?_

Ainz remembered his days back when YGGDRASIL had been still online. While none of his guild mates used the scroll, he had gathered info about the Loyal Dog special NPC. They would only obey their master, and nobody else. If anyone else tried to ask them something, they would just stand still.

During the time Lily was staying with him in Nazarick, Ainz had presumed that Lily had taken the 'be well' phrase from Ryu as an order to behave like a good girl while he was away.

 _Come to think of it, those weren't orders. She has been obeying me herself. Does the creator still retain some authority, or has she gained free will in this world? Does the same apply to my guardians?_

"Nevertheless, Ryu. Do you have something to tell them before we go?"

Ryu, who has been waiting with his arms folded, released his arm folding stance and spoke.

"Lily, Alice, please help guarding this village while I am away"

"Sure"

"Alright, Ryu-san!"

Ryu looked at Lily.

"This is a good chance to try using that necklace. Still, be careful with it"

Lily cheerfully nodded, and then Ryu looked at Alice.

"Liz, I'm sorry for hiding all these from you"

"I can see your reason, so don't worry about that"

"Please help Lily train in using the necklace"

"Sure"

Ryu then turned his body to face Ainz, and spoke with a determined look.

"I'm ready"

"Alright then. Let's go"

[Gate]

Ainz and Ryu then walked into the dark portal and disappeared from sight.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Night has fallen.

A rather large group consisting of about twenty people were camping out in the wilderness of the Baharuth Empire territory. All of them were adventurers of at least Platinum Rank, and they all have one objective: to hunt down a demon.

All of them, except one.

Among the people, there was a red-haired, rather young girl. Unlike the others, she didn't have an adventurer plate. All of the people there knew about this fact that there was an outsider among the group, but nobody seemed to really care.

Rose, being the girl inquestion, tried to behave as normal as possible. She had at first followed the group from a distance, but she had been quickly noticed and then questioned about her intention. Thankfully, they seemed to believe her story of being a traveler who wanted to stay close to a group just in case for her own safety, so they had let her walk along them.

Still, some of them seemed to be discontent with it. Rose just kept her distance from those people.

Right now, the people were grouped among their own teams, each consisting of three to five people. Each of the group were sitting in a circle formation around each own campfire. Rose was along one group of three Platinum Rank adventurers: a warrior man, a ranger girl, and a druid man. She had been sitting alone at first, but these three people had invited her to sit with them.

Rose was eating a piece of bread she had bought earlier, and the other three people were also eating their own rations.

"Hey, sorry. What was your name again?"

The hairless, rather bright-skinned warrior asked Rose.

"Rose"

"We haven't introduced ourselves. I am Tibor The Strong Hand!"

The warrior guy exclaimed in confidence. Rose could see that his weapon was a pretty gigantic warhammer, so the name was quite fitting. His body build was rather slender in contrast to his weapon, making it a wonder how he could wield it. His armor was nearly a full plate, minus the upper half part of the arms.

"This one is Morian The Force of Nature, and the last but not least, Elize The Sharpshooter!"

"You never learn to stop with the embarrassing nickname, huh Tibor?"

"Give it up, Lizzie. He's just like that!"

Morian said that and laughed lightly. He then looked at Rose. Unlike Tibor, Morian had a wavy, medium length brown hair reaching slightly below the shoulders, and his facial hair was all over his mouth, almost making it totally concealed. He was lightly armored, but his clothing covered everything other than his face.

"What made you a traveler, if I may know?"

"I... ran away from home"

"Really? Why? Was your family hard on you?"

"My eyes, they are different than anyone else in my family..."

"Oh, I see"

Rose knew that in a primitive planet like this telling her true background was not a good idea, so she was trying to establish a fabricated setting for her background in this world. She had decided to go with ' _an apparently illegitimate noble daughter running away from an abusive family_ ' which she felt fitting for a fantasy world like this planet. Moreover, this setting would make it more believable for a young girl like her to be traveling alone.

" _Remember to go with that setting in case you get asked, Meru"_

" _Alright, Rose..."_

"How far is the destination of this group?"

Elize opened a map and then looked at the sky. Her blonde hair was tied into a ponytail reaching halfway through her back. Her blue eyes observed the stars above. She was mildly armored with metal breastplate and greaves, but leather clothing everywhere else.

"According to the guild, the demon was last seen at the edge of Great Kirrath Forest. At this rate we will be there by noon tomorrow"

"I see"

Tibor quickly asked Rose after hearing her reply to Elize.

"Hey, what is your plan once we reach the forest? Will you continue traveling on your own, or something else?"

"I'm gonna watch you work. This is not something you can see everyday, isn't it?"

"Ha! You're absolutely correct! You better keep your eyes open!"

Tibor sounded very high spirited, but Morian was less excited.

"Try not to get into trouble. We most likely won't be able to protect you in the heat of battle"

"Don't worry about me. I will keep my distance"

"Let's sleep for the night, then!"

Tibor then quickly took out a leather blanket from his luggage and lied down on the ground covering himself with it. Less than ten seconds later everyone there could already hear him snoring.

"Quick at falling asleep as always"

Elize said it with a light smile and sigh. She also took out a leather blanket and prepared to sleep. Morian seemed to be the one standing guard while everyone else slept. Rose just simply lied down right there.

"Rose"

"Yes?"

"Here, use this"

Morian threw a bundled leather cloth at Rose. It seemed that he meant for it to be used as a blanket like how Tibor and Elize did with theirs.

"Tonight is pretty cold, and with your legs in the open like that you will get cold without it"

"Uhh, thanks"

The kindness was actually unnecessary. The photon armor equipped by ARKS operatives also functioned as temperature conditioner, making the wearer always feel themselves at comfortable temperature as long as they were not exposed to extreme temperature. The term 'extreme temperature' here meant 'swimming in lava' or 'near absolute-zero', so pretty much any place remotely habitable would never pose a problem.

Still, Morian's remarks made Rose thinking. Clothing which didn't cover the legs seemed to be nearly nonexistent in this planet. All women wore either long skirts which reached their ankles, or long leather pants for adventurers like Elize. The way Rose outfitted herself made her stick out like a sore thumb, and the same definitely applied to Meru.

Still, there was nothing she could do since all the data she had for her photon clothing were all either short skirts or shorts, so she just went to sleep and decided to not think further about it.

In the following day, the trip of the large group went by without any significant event. As Elize had predicted, the group arrived at their destination forest by noon, and they unanimously agreed to have lunch before beginning the hunt.

Unlike last night, Rose separated herself from the group and stood by leaning to a nearby tree. She watched all the adventurers eating their meal, and then within only less than ten minutes they were already done and began preparing their equipment.

One of the adventurers, seemingly the one in charge of the whole group, stood up on a rock to position himself higher. The man wore a shiny silver-colored full plate armor minus the helmet, and the design of the armor was generally more fancy than what Tibor wore. Rose didn't remember the name of the rank, but the color of his plate was the same as Ryu's. His dark brown hair was neatly cut at short length, and he sported immaculate moustache.

"Alright, everyone! Listen up!"

All the other adventurers gathered and lined up neatly in front of him.

"The demon was last seen in this forest last night! Spread our formation and hunt it down! Once spotted, alert all other groups! Do not, I repeat, do not try to take it out yourself! Report says it has killed one Gold Rank in a flash, so none of us should ever take it lightly!"

The speech did not last long. Soon, all the adventurers grouped up into their own teams and entered the forest. As they had planned, the individual teams went into separate ways. Rose decided to follow Tibor's group from a distance.

Half an hour passed, and the group was still searching. There was no sign from other groups either, so none has found the demon yet. By this time Rose was already walking along Tibor's group instead of following from a distance.

"There's a cave over there"

Elize said to the rest of the team while pointing to a direction. The group then walked that way and arrived at the entrance of a cave situated under a cliff wall about ten meters tall.

"Do you think the demon could be here? It would be nice if it is!"

Tibor confidently said it with his weapon readied. Morian just sighed.

"Don't you remember what the leader said?"

"I remember all right! But someone has to stall the demon while the others are on their way, right?"

"You have a point there. Anyway, Rose, you better keep your distance"

"I will wait here. Please be careful in there"

"If things get hairy, use this to escape"

Elize gave Rose something in the shape of a grey ball which would fit in one's palm. It was made of something that was solid yet fragile, like an eggshell.

"It's a smoke bomb. Just smash it to the ground to blow it up. Remember to hold your breath before doing it"

"Thank you"

Morian then lit a torch and gave it to Tibor. All three of them entered the cave with Tibor at the front and Elize at the back. Rose decided to sit down on a nearby rock and wait for them to return. She had taken a bit of liking to them, and she intended that if they somehow fell into danger she would protect them.

Five minutes had passed, and Rose was humming random notes by herself when suddenly...

"What are you... doing here...?"

A voice was heard from behind. It was the voice of a girl, and quite a soft one at that.

"Who's there?"

Rose said that as she quickly stood up and turned around.

What she saw next was, as the voice implied, a girl. She was standing next to a tree, leaning to it. The girl was wearing a tight black-with-some-grey-lines suit which was sleeveless, but there were detached sleeves covering her arms starting from near the shoulders all the way to the wrists, and those sleeves gradually got very loose the closer to the wrists. Her hair was jet black and straight, reaching down to her waist. She wore a weird white, fluffy hat which might as well looked as if she put a furball sheep on her head. Her face skin was pale white, as if she was anemic.

There was a waist-tall bush in front of her so Rose could only see the girl from waist up, thus she still couldn't see what the girl was wearing for the bottom half. But that was not the most important matter.

From the sides of the girl's hat, there were pairs of horns protruding, and while her right eye was of black color, her left eye was of blazing fire red color.

This girl was definitely the demon the adventurers were hunting down.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **There you go, I'm pretty sure some avid readers have seen this coming and can already guess what will happen next. I can't constantly make unexpected things forever, can I?**

* * *

 **Q & A**

* * *

 **Q:** Why did you subtly shut down my nagging for Ainz to get photon tech?

 **A:** Not my intention. I write Indy-Ploy style and this was what came out.

* * *

 **Q:** Has Lily *Cut*

 **A:** You're hilarious as always lol.

* * *

 **See you later**


	30. Chapter 26: A Lesson in Pain

**Hi all!**

 **Like usual, I'm thankful for those following my story so far, either silent reader or vocal reviewer. To be honest, on the first day I didn't expect to get quite an amount of followers, and now I'm happy that it has gone far beyond my initial expectation.**

 **Let me tell a reminder that I put two links in my account profile leading to a gallery which should help visualize objects that appear in the story.**

 **Without further ado, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Rose was in a predicament, although not quite.

Right in front of her was the demon who was being hunted down by the group of adventurers she had been walking along with. However, she had never imagined the demon to be such a cute girl. Putting aside the horns and blazing red left eye, this demon looked really human.

Rose was confident in her capability. She should be able to defeat this demon easily if this demon's strength was within this world's standards. However, there was no telling if that was really the case, and none of the adventurers were around to test it.

"Who... what are you?"

Rose asked a question to the demon. She was ready to smash the smoke bomb as a distraction, but so far she could not see any malice from the demon.

"I'm just... a sheep passing by..."

The demon moved around the bush and slowly approached Rose. It was at this point Rose finally could see the bottom half of the body.

The demon wore a tight type of short skirts with matching color of her suit, and below that she wore dark grey thigh-high socks with frilled edge of lighter grey color. There was a black leg pouch strapped on her right thigh, and she wore a strange thick belt around her hip. What was strange of her belt was the bunch of what seemed to be crystal sheets cut in pentagonal shape hanging under it. Lastly, her shoes were low-heeled short boots of dark grey color.

All in all, the demon's outfit gave off a strangely modern vibe compared to this world's level of civilization. Rose felt strange seeing that, but she remembered that some of the evil overlord's underlings wore somewhat modern clothing too, so she concluded that this world's demon civilization level was likely more advanced than human civilization.

Still, Rose couldn't help wondering about the demon's reply.

"Huh...? Sheep?"

The demon smiled a little and also did a small giggle.

"I was kidding"

Her smile was beautiful, but Rose couldn't help thinking that there was nothing funny in her joke. At best it only served to confuse.

 _*Grumble**Grumble*_

Suddenly, a sound came out from the demon's stomach, and she froze in silence.

"You're hungry?"

As Rose asked that, the demon girl's face showed a great embarrassment.

"Aaaah!"

The demon girl immediately turned around and ran away screaming in embarrassment. She went back to the tree she had come out from, and then she disappeared from view behind the bushes.

 _Seriously?_

At this point, Rose began to doubt if this demon was evil after all. By any chance, this might even not be the exact demon they were looking for. There was just no way this shy girl would be able to kill anyone.

While the demon girl was still behind the tree, Rose took the large meat skewer she had bought yesterday from her photon inventory. She then approached the spot where the demon was last seen, and as she thought, the demon girl was sitting on the ground hugging her own legs. She clearly was embarrassed.

"Here, help yourself"

Rose offered the meat skewer to the demon, who looked at her with a slightly surprised face.

"Don't ask any question. Just eat it"

The demon girl stood up and reluctantly took the meat skewer from Rose. She observed the meat skewer for a good ten seconds, and then she took a bite. Soon after, she chewed on the rest of the meat skewers as if she had not eaten anything for days. At this point, Rose could see that this demon girl was taller than her, but still short compared to the average height of people.

After she was done with the meat skewer, she bowed to Rose.

"Thank you"

What just had been happening got Rose convinced that this demon girl was not the one the adventurers were looking for. This one was too nice and shy to be the one who had killed a person in cold blood like how they had described.

Still, the horns and red eye were not something to be ignored.

"Are you alone?"

"I'm not..."

 _So there are others like her around here._

"...Since you're with me"

 _What?_

In her mind Rose, and probably Meru as well, facepalmed. This demon girl had taken the question literally.

"No, I mean..."

"I was kidding. Yes, I got here alone"

The demon girl made a little laugh again. Rose seriously got annoyed at this point. This girl seemed to be a nice one, and she really was, but her apparent habit of making unfunny jokes was starting to tick Rose off.

" _She didn't mean anything bad, Rose"_

" _I know! I know, but... Uuuurgh!"_

" _Want me to switch?"_

" _Right in front of her? No way! Just let me take a deep breath. I can handle this"_

Rose wanted to ask if she knew anything about the adventurer who had been killed, but directly going to the point like that might not be a good idea, so she decided to ask something else first.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm looking... for my shepperd"

"Your shepperd?"

"Yes..."

 _Is this another of her lame joke? But come to think of it, one pair of the horns looked like sheep's horns. Well, in any case, she probably meant that she was looking for someone._

While thinking about that, Rose realized that no matter what, this girl was in danger. There was no denying that this girl had the exact same trait as whatever demon had killed the adventurer, particularly the horns and the red left eye. No matter what she would say, the adventurers would see her as the evil demon and end up killing her instead of the actual culprit.

"This place is dangerous. We need to get out of here"

"Why?"

"No time to explain. Let's just-"

Suddenly, the demon girl went limp and fell on her knees, and then she dropped to the ground on prone position.

"Hey, what's happening?"

Before Rose could get any answer, she heard someone else speaking.

"While I didn't agree with bringing an outsider like you along, I gotta admit you ended up useful"

Rose looked towards the one speaking, and she saw a group of three people. One of them was the leader person who had given a speech before beginning the hunt. She didn't recognize the other two, but both of them wore equipment which made them looked obvious that they were magic casters. One of them was pointing his arm at the demon girl, and his palm had a projected magic circle on it.

 _Is that guy casting some kind of binding or paralysis magic on her?_

The leader looked at the other magic caster.

"Summon the others"

The magic caster nodded and took out some kind of blowing horn which had been strapped on the side of his belt. He then blew it, producing a loud sound. The horn gave out a green glow, and then numerous wisps of light of the same color appeared and spread to all directions.

The leader looked at the magic caster who had been pointing his palm at the demon girl.

"How's the [Perpetual Paralysis] spell?"

"Surprisingly no resistance"

"Keep your guard up while channeling that. It might be faking"

"Yes, sir"

The leader stepped forward and approached the two girls. Rose was wary, but she didn't say anything yet because she could guess that words likely would not work. Once he was close enough, he stopped in front of Rose and stood with his arms folded. His face sported a smug expression, and that was an annoyance to Rose's eyes.

"You have my gratitude"

"For what?"

"For telling me the location of this demon"

"What? What are you saying?"

Rose looked back and forth at the leader and the demon girl. At this point the demon girl was struggling to even raise her head, but Rose could notice that this girl was in disbelief hearing the leader's words. Rose herself would never buy it.

"And also for keeping its attention to you so my aide here could get a clear shot"

He glanced at the pointing magic caster while saying that. Rose herself was very confused because none of those had been her intention. She had followed Tibor's group on a whim, and she had been talking to the demon girl because she wanted to help.

Right now, Rose was very worried that the leader's speech had made a misunderstanding. She looked at the demon girl's face, and what she feared might be true. The girl's face showed sadness, as if she had been deceived and betrayed.

" _Rose! Do something! Save her!"_

" _Aaargh! Screw it!"_

 **SMASH!**

Suddenly, a thick cloud of smoke appeared from right underneath Rose. The leader and his two aides were taken by surprise.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"UGH...!"

"What's happening?!"

The leader heard a painful grunt from one of his aides, but he still couldn't see anything behind the smokes.

"Was that a smoke bomb?! Where did she get one?! Goro, clear this up!"

"Oh, right, sir!"

[Air Burst]

A burst of air occurred outwards from the aide who had casted the spell. In an instant, the smokes cleared up and they were able to see things clearly again.

The leader saw that his other aide was curled in fetal position on the ground and shivering in great pain. His hands were cupped over his groin area.

"Hey, Argo! What happened?!"

"I... my..."

"Say no more"

It just took a second for the leader to realize that Argo had received a kick to his family jewels. He would stay like that for a while.

"Sor...ry... sir"

The leader stood firmly with his arms folded. His face was brimming with confidence.

"No matter. Goro!"

"It's still active, sir"

"Very good"

Both the leader and Goro smiled with smugness, even Argo smiled while still being in pain. Their plan was still in motion despite the recent event.

Soon enough, one team of adventurers came to his location. It was Tibor's group.

"We saw the Guiding Wisp. Did you find the demon?"

"Not only that"

"Huh?"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Rose was running through the woods, trying to escape as far as she could from the adventurers. She was carrying the demon girl with princess carry stance. It was very difficult for her since this demon girl was bigger than her, though not by much.

After several minutes of running, Rose started to run out of breath. Luckily, she saw a hollow tree which she could use to hide, so she stopped there and put the demon girl down.

"Can you move?"

Without saying anything, the demon girl stood up.

"Alright, let's hide in here for a moment"

Rose entered the cavity of the hollow tree and sat down. The space was more than enough for two people to sit relatively comfortably.

However, the demon girl just stood still in front of the hole.

"Hey, come in. Otherwise they will find you soon"

The demon girl then entered the cavity and sat down in front of Rose without saying anything. Rose couldn't think much about the girl's lack of words since she was still trying to catch her breath.

Two minutes later, Rose finally regained her normal breathing pace.

"Why did you... help me?"

The demon girl finally spoke. Rose could understand that she was probably stunned by all things happening so fast.

"I just couldn't let them punish the wrong person"

"Wrong person...?"

"Those people, adventurers, are looking for a demon who killed one of them two days ago. You just happen to share the same trait with that demon. You see, horns, and red left eye"

"Oh..."

"There's no way it was you, right? You're a nice person, and you give off a vibe that you can't even hurt a bug"

"Heh..."

The girl didn't say anything other than that. She smiled but her overall face expression seemed to be not too happy. In fact, her eyes somewhat seemed like she was pitying Rose.

"Uhh, what's with that face?"

"Nothing... I just want to say... things may not be what they seem"

"Well, yeah... But anyway, we still haven't known each other's names. I'm Rose"

Rose reached her hand for a handshake to the demon girl, but she just sat still and not replying to the gesture.

"I... don't want to tell my name..."

"Huh? What should I call you then?"

"It doesn't matter... We won't be together for long..."

"While it is true in a sense... Ah whatever"

Rose decided not to bother both the girl and herself further with the matter. There was likely be a reason for this girl to keep her name unknown. Maybe the people of demon race consider their names sacred, or maybe a simpler reason such as her name sounding silly for humans and she was shy about it. In any case, if she didn't want to tell her name, then so be it.

"Still... Thank you..."

"Don't thank me yet. You're not out of the woods, both figuratively and literally"

Rose then stood up and stepped out from the hollow tree. She tried to scan the surroundings, seeing if the adventurers out there were closing in. There was nobody in sight, so probably they were safe for now. However, what the leader had said got Rose thinking.

" _Meru, do you think I have been bugged with tracking magic or something?"_

" _I don't know"_

" _I guess I have to assume the worst then"_

Rose then peeked into the hollow tree. The demon girl was still there sitting on the ground.

"Hey, Sheep"

The demon girl looked a bit surprised hearing what Rose had just said.

"Me...?"

"What else should I call you if you don't want to tell me your name?"

The demon girl was silent for a few seconds, then she smiled and giggled a little.

"Thats a good one"

"Anyway, keep hiding here for a while"

"What are you going to do...?"

"From what that man said, I am probably tracked with magic. I will pull the adventurers away from here. That will be your chance to escape"

"What if you get caught...?"

"Even if that happens, their attention will be on me for a while"

"What if they harm you...?"

"Don't worry about that"

Rose was confident in her photon armor. Even though her armor was heavily set up towards boosting her attack power, she believed what was left of the protection power was still much more than enough to keep her from any harm. Moreover, she also believed those adventurers would not be so low to harm a little girl like her.

"Why... are you doing this... for me...?"

"Like I said; I don't want someone innocent gets punished for something she hasn't done"

"Uhh..."

"Be well, Sheep. I hope you will find the person you're looking for"

Rose then ran off from the hollow tree, leaving Sheep behind. She ran from the location as fast as she could, trying to at least buy time for Sheep to escape on her own. Ideally, it would be best if Rose herself could shake the adventurers off, but she knew it wouldn't happen if her guess that she had been bugged with tracking magic turned out to be true.

Rose tried her best to shake the pursuers off. She went through thorny bushes, across a river, and even jumped off a small cliff. She was able to do all these harmlessly thanks to her photon armor. However, her stamina was a different matter. After landing from her jump, she stopped to catch her breath.

" _Rose"_

"What?"

" _There's a cave. Maybe you can hide there?"_

Rose looked to the wall of the small cliff she had just jumped off from. Indeed there was a small cave entrance. She pondered for a short moment. If she indeed had been bugged, there was no use hiding. However, right now she should be already far away and it would be a while until the adventurers arrive here. Moreover, she could potentially confront them and get the bug removed.

"Sounds like a good idea"

Rose then entered the cave and sat down to rest herself. The cave was actually more like a hole, since she could see the dead end inside just a few meters away. But she paid it no heed, since in her mind, she only hoped that Sheep would safely escape and eventually find whoever she was looking for.

As she had expected, less than ten minutes later someone arrived at the cave entrance.

"Found you, you little brat"

It was the leader, and his way of speaking was unlike his elegant appearance. Like before, the two magic casters were standing at his sides. It didn't take long for the rest of the whole adventurers group to gather behind him, including Tibor's group.

"Alright, you found me. Then what?"

Rose stood up as she said that. Her plan was to stall as much as she could, and depending on their next action she would either cooperate as much as she could, break through and escape, or kill them all in self defense. The last option was only for the case if they all wanted to kill her and she somehow couldn't escape.

Before the leader said anything, Tibor stepped forward and spoke. His face showed that he was both confused and upset.

"Rose! Why did you betray us and help the demon?"

"Because I believe-"

Before Rose could finish her reply, suddenly her mouth got sealed with something that looked like a bunch of thin white strings. Out of reflex, she raised both her hands together in attempt to remove the strings, but more of those strings appeared out of thin air and wrapped both her wrists together. Without giving her any room to react, another set appeared around her knees and her ankles and bound them together, making her lose balance and fell down to the ground.

Tibor looked really surprised and looked at the leader's group. One of his aides were in a spell casting stance, so that must have been him. The one she had kicked at his groin.

"Hey! What's the big idea!? We haven't heard her answers yet!"

The leader calmly looked at Tibor and replied.

"Let me ask you this. If this brat said that she believed the demon is innocent, would you believe her? You're naive if you would"

Tibor couldn't argue against that, so he didn't say anything.

"Anything this brat would say now in front of us would be nothing but a waste of time. It is much more practical to arrest her and question her as needed... with necessary means"

"W-What?"

Tibor was confused about the last part of the leader's answer. He, Morian, and Elize just stood in silence as the leader approached Rose, picked her up, and carried her over his shoulders. Rose wanted to get herself off this man, but no matter how hard she tried her body wouldn't move. It seemed she also had been paralyzed on top of the bondage.

" _Rose, Are you okay...?"_

" _Other than the bondage and paralysis, I'm still fine"_

" _What should I do?"_

" _Just stay there. I can handle this"_

Despite what she had told Meru, Rose was actually in a bind, literally as well. She couldn't get free from this, and there was no knowing when she would be released from it. But she didn't want Meru to worry too much, so she acted confident.

The leader carried Rose to the middle of the crowd of adventurers. They all dispersed as he walked, giving him quite a lot of space. Then, he stopped and dropped Rose on the ground with a thud sound. Rose didn't feel any pain thanks to her photon armor, but it was still uncomfortable nevertheless.

 **WHAM!**

Without any warning, the leader kicked Rose hard on her face, launching her away several meters. Again. there were neither pain nor physical injury, but it was still a shocking experience for her.

"Hey hey! What have you done!?"

Tibor shouted at the leader's action. Whispers could be heard from the crowd. They were as confused as everyone else other than the leader and his aides.

"Look"

The leader replied calmly while pointing at Rose, who was still lying on the ground unable to move. Most people among the crowd gasped.

"No injury at all, and it doesn't even look pained"

The leader unsheathed his sword and approached Rose. He then, without hesitation, stabbed the sword at her bare thighs just below the edge of her shorts. The sword's tip stopped right on top of her skin, causing no injury. The leader repeated his attempt several times on different spots of her body, all with the same result; no damage at all.

"Now you see what I mean. This brat is also a demon. By any chance, it might be an even stronger demon than the one we are hunting, since it can make itself look very humanlike unlike the other demon"

The crowd whispered to each other, and quite a lot of them nodded, agreeing with the leader's remarks. He then turned around and looked at Tibor's group.

"I expect you to have learned your lesson to always be wary of anything outside the objective in plain sight"

Tibor bowed his head in shame. His two partners also did the same.

"Yes, sir"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Rodell Fisc Templar

That was the name of this Orichalcum Rank adventurer. He was born more than thirty years ago, and he had undergone his career as adventurer for ten years. Like most other, he had started his career from scratch and climbed through the ranks in normal ways, though rather quicker than most.

His actual combat capability was lower than his rank implied. Going one on one in a melee combat, even a Platinum Rank still had a chance to defeat him. But he had no problem with it since his main strength was not combat.

His true strength lied in his ability to command.

Thanks to his [Talent], he would have easier time to convince other people to work for his advantage. Throughout his career, he had used other teams as stepping stone a lot of times by doing joint-op quests and then convincing them that his contribution to the quest was the greatest.

His method was not flawless. There had been times when the other party was not convinced, and he had learned that his [Talent] still had limits. Therefore he trained himself, both physically and intellectually, so he would be able to make at least enough contribution to make use of his [Talent].

His method of climbing the ranks had eventually ended up making himself lacking in combat capability, but the years of trying to convince other people had developed his ability to read his situation and act accordingly. Together with his [Talent], this resulted in him being able to command his allies through countless difficult situations which should had become a total wipeout, earning him the title of General among adventurers.

* * *

 **Name:** Rodell Fisc Templar

 **Level:** 23

 **Talent:**

Lord of Influence: Higher chance of successfully convincing people to agree with his words.

 **Job Levels:**

Swordsman: Level 5

Fighter: Level 4

Commander: Level 5

General: Level 6

Persuader: Level 3

 **Equipment:**

Gallant Armor of The General

Gallant Cloak of The General

Gallant One Handed Sword

* * *

 **Name:** Argo Strega

 **Level:** 25

 **Job Levels:**

Wizard: Level 7

Sorcerer: Level 6

Arachnomancer: Level 5

Inquisitor: Level 7

 **Equipment:**

Robe of Arachnid

Staff of Lesser Amplification

Ring of Slash Protection

* * *

 **Name:** Goro Ein

 **Level:** 20

 **Job Levels:**

Wizard: Level 5

Elementalist (Air): Level 5

Elementalist (Ground): Level 4

Scryer: Level 6

 **Equipment:**

Robe of The Overseer

Ring of Stab Protection

* * *

Rodell's team might looked unbalanced with two magic casters, one warrior, and nobody else. However, his team almost never did a job by themselves. He always recruited a different team as reinforcement or did joint-op quests, and everything got gradually easier as his team progressed through the ranks.

Still, he had been stuck in Orichalcum Rank for five years with no opportunity for Adamantite Rank in sight. The system in Baharuth Empire minimized the job opportunities for Adventurers, and therefore there had been no chance for heroic deeds which would promote him to Adamantite.

But today, he might had the opportunity.

The raid party he was leading had managed to capture a powerful demon disguised as a little human girl. From the beginning of the quest, he had already suspected the random traveler following the party and eventually joining their travel, especially that her clothing was so alien to him. Therefore, he had Goro silently put a tracking magic on her and monitor her from afar with Goro's scrying capability.

And it all came to this moment where once again his suspicion was right.

The demon which the party originally was hunting down had gone missing, but the culprit of that matter had been captured, and it was an even stronger demon. Right now, the red-haired demon was shackled and pinned to the nearby cliff wall using Goro's ground magic [Rock Shackle]. It was pinned standing in a T-pose with conjured rock shackles on her wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, stomach, and neck. In addition, he also had Argo to tightly wrap its hands with his Arachnid Magic [Spider Bind] so it wouldn't be able to move a finger. The restraint might have been excessive for human, but since this was a demon he could never be too careful. Moreover, Argo had to stop channeling his [Perpetual Paralysis] to conserve his mana for what would come soon.

"What are we going to do with her?"

One of the adventurers asked the question. Rodell calmly replied.

"We research the weakness of this demon, and once we find out we kill it. Two birds with one stone. So... who wants to go first?"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Rose was worried out of her wits.

Right now she was pretty much being used as a lab rat by the adventurers. Warriors slashed, stabbed, and smacked her with their weapons. Rangers shot arrows at various parts of her body including her eyeballs, and magic casters used various attack spells on her. None of them did any damage to her thanks to photon armor, but her situation was grim.

She was unable to move and speak. She couldn't retrieve her weapon because her fingers were sealed, and if she could she wouldn't be able to wield it anyway. If the adventurers decided to leave her bound like this, she would starve to death. Another bad scenario was if somehow they found something effective on her, which was unlikely but still possible if Ryu's words were to be believed.

" _Rose..."_

" _I know! I'm in trouble but what can I do?! These guys are beyond stupid!"_

" _I'm sorry..."_

" _Don't be sorry! I'm the one who should be sorry for getting us into this mess!"_

The leader looked at Tibor's group while all these were happening.

"You three are the only ones not doing anything yet. What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, but count us out"

"What? Are you getting soft on this creature just because it talked with you last night?"

"Maybe, maybe not. We just don't feel like taking part in this"

"Heh, whatever. Once we are done with it I will lecture you and cut your share of the pay"

"So be it then"

Tibor's group then walked away and just watched from the distance. Rose looked at their pitying eyes. It was likely that they still had doubts on the leader's words but couldn't do anything since the rest of the group agreed with him, making them a minority.

"Nothing's working so far, eh?"

"Sir, how about we just leave her like that? She will starve to death eventually"

A random adventurer proposed one idea which Rose had been fearing. Her heart skipped a beat hearing that. One of the leader's aides replied.

"The mana of the rock shackles has to be maintained or they will crumble. I don't have so much mana to last that long. Only up to this evening at most"

That reply gave Rose a little bit of relief.

"Argo, your turn has come. Show this filthy demon what you got"

The leader spoke to the other aide who had been sitting on the ground and meditating. He then stood up and looked at Rose with determined face. He then conjured a magic circle on his hand and casted a spell.

[Pain]

"!"

Rose suddenly felt a great deal of pain all over her body. The sensation was the same as if she was pricked by thousands of needles. The pain only lasted for a second, but it was very painful nevertheless.

"It worked?"

"It worked! What was that, Sir Argo?"

Some adventurers were excited at what they had just seen.

"It was just an illusion spell to make the target feel an illusionary pain without actually hurting the body. I honestly didn't think this would work"

"Interesting..."

The leader nodded his head and made a smug face.

"Continue"

[Pain]

"Mmmph!"

Once again, Rose felt sharp pain all over her body. She panted heavily after the pain was over.

"Extend"

[Extend Magic: Pain]

"Mmmmmph!"

This time, the pain lasted for a whole five seconds. Rose couldn't hold her tears from the pain.

"Oh, it's crying. Not so tough now, eh?"

The leader made a hand signal to Argo, and then the strings sealing Rose's mouth dissolved.

"Do you have anything to say now, demon? How about telling us where the other demon is?"

"I'm not a demon... please stop this..."

"Nonsense. A human bare skin won't be able to remain uninjured after all that, and no protection spell in this world can protect that much. Argo, again"

[Pain]

"AAAAAARGH!"

Rose's scream echoed through the woods. The adventurers cheered hearing that, while at a distance Tibor and Morian were trying to comfort Elize, who was crying from the sight she found horrible.

" _Rose! Switch with me!"_

" _No..."_

" _Why? Why won't you let me?"_

" _I don't want you... to suffer all this"_

" _No! Rose! Please let me help you!"_

" _Meru... I'm sorry..."_

" _No! I'm sorry!"_

" _I'm sorry..."_

Rose's consciousness was fading away. Any more of that spell and she would faint. She had just learned a few lessons the hard way. One, many humans on this planet were not any better than that undead overlord, maybe even worse. Two, she was now experiencing the fact about photon armor being useless against weird magic effect of this planet. Right now she deeply regretted being overly confident about her strength and equipment to the point of being cocky, but she knew that it was already too late.

"Want to speak now, demon? If you tell us your fatal weakness we will give you a mercy of quick, painless death. That is, if your weakness makes it possible"

Some of the adventurers laughed hearing that. There was then a silence for ten seconds. Rose slowly opened her mouth, trying to speak one last time.

"Someone... please help me..."

"Ha, too bad that won't happen. Argo, amplify"

[Boost Magic: Pai-

Without any warning, suddenly Argo's body became headless. Blood spurted out from the hole where his neck used to be, and the body dropped down to the ground. Immediately, the same thing happened to the other aide. Then, instead of his head, both of the leader's arms and his right leg were suddenly cut off. He dropped down to the ground on his buttocks.

Thanks to the death of both magic casters, the rock shackles binding Rose crumbled, setting her free. However, her fading consciousness couldn't keep herself standing, so she dropped down to the ground. But at least she still had just enough strength to hold herself in kneeling position.

"What's happening...?"

"AAAARGH! MY ARMS! MY LEG!"

The adventurers looked around in panic as the leader screamed at what had just happened to him. Rose tried to look around and see what was happening.

What she saw was a series of energy bolt coming from above, one after another. Any adventurer hit by the bolt would get the hit body part separated from them. No exceptions.

Rose gathered all the consciousness she had to stand up and walk away from the cliff wall, so she could see what had been shooting those energy bolts.

Rose couldn't believe what she saw.

The one shooting those energy bolts was none other than Sheep. She was shooting them from above the small cliff with a longbow. She kept firing those energy bolts until most of the adventurers were dead, either instantly or from bleeding out. Rose could notice several of them managing to get away and disappear into the woods, but the number of dismembered corpses in front of her was not a pretty sight.

Thankfully, Tibor's group managed to get away unharmed. While they had not helped her in apathy, they were not as bad as the others, so she was a little happy knowing that they survived. Rose backed away from the corpses and leaned to the cliff wall to rest herself. She was physically fine, but her mental condition was another story. Just a few seconds later, Sheep jumped off from the cliff and landed on her two feet. Her face looked expressionless, but Rose could somehow feel that she was furious. The closest phrase to describe Sheep's state of mind would be Tranquil Fury.

It was at this point Rose could see the bow Sheep was holding. It was quite an intricate design with its colors of majorly pale grey, pale yellow, with a few spots of red. There were sharp blades on both ends of the bow, and its string was bright red. No matter how anyone looked at it, the bow screamed "Demonic Weapon". But somehow Rose felt a tiny bit of familiarity with that bow.

Sheep slowly walked to the leader, who was still alive and squirming with the only one leg he had left.

"G-Get away from me, you filthy demon!"

"...Worthless idiot scum..."

After saying that, Sheep stabbed the bladed end of her longbow to the leader's neck. A lot of blood spurted out, and he died bleeding out from that. The bow then disappeared with a flicker of light.

Sheep turned around and approached Rose. Her walking pace was faster than before, and her face expression showed worry.

"Are you all right, Rose?"

"I... I..."

Rose was actually all right. But right now she was very confused. The nice and shy girl she had helped, had just ruthlessly killed a number of adventurers, and now the same girl was worried about her. The dissonance was too jarring.

" _Rose, she saved you. Get yourself together"_

" _Yeah, but-"_

" _She saved you"_

" _Alright, alright!"_

"Thank you, Sheep. I was stupid and underestimated them"

Sheep smiled once again hearing Rose's reply.

"Things may not be what they seem, right?"

What Sheep just said could refer to multiple things for Rose. The adventurers, seemingly very weak compared to Darkers, turned out capable of capturing her. The leader, seemingly an honorable person, turned out not hesitant to painfully torture her. Sheep, seemingly a nice and shy girl, turned out capable of ruthlessly killing the adventurers.

"Uhh, yeah. So, does that mean...?"

"Yes... I killed someone two days ago. I just wanted to try talking, but he attacked me"

"So, self defense?"

"No, I didn't want to kill anyone. It was an accident"

 _Accident, huh? Well, I did kill someone accidentally, so I can understand somewhat._

"But these ones-"

Sheep's face expression turned straight the moment Rose mentioned the adventurers.

"What they did to you made them worthless idiot scum monkey garbage in my eyes"

 _That's an excessive amount of insult right there, though I agree to a certain extent._

Sheep let out a sigh after saying that.

"Now you will hate me too, right? It's time we part ways, then..."

Sheep turned away and started to walk away, but Rose quickly hugged her from behind.

"No! Wait!"

"What...?"

"Don't leave me alone"

Rose had been acting strong like her normal self, but in truth she was afraid. She could no longer go to any city because the survivors of this event would definitely tell everything, making her at least a wanted criminal. She also had learned that the people of this planet had methods to defeat her despite the huge difference in combat power. Adding to the fact that now there was no ARKS medic squad to rescue her if she screwed up, suddenly the planet had become much scarier than she had expected. While thinking of all these, Rose started sobbing.

Sheep then gently released Rose's hug, turned around, and hugged her in return. While showing a caring smile on her face, Sheep gently caressed Rose's back head. Rose could no longer hold herself, and she cried loudly on Sheep's chest.

"That's fine... Let it out... I'm here with you, and I won't leave you alone..."

As the two girls hugged, rain started falling down. The rain quickly became a downpour, washing all the blood stains away from the ground around them.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

It was a broad daylight in the 6th floor of Nazarick.

There were nobody in the Amphitheater other than two figures standing in the middle of the arena.

One of them was Ryu, and the other was none other than the owner of the place, Ainz Ooal Gown. They had just arrived there through [Gate] from Carne Village.

"So, Ainz-dono. What are we going to do exactly?"

"We will start with a field test to compare your so-called Photon Techs with my magic spells"

"I hope we will get useful info with this"

"Me too, Ryu. Me too..."

There was a silence for a few seconds, and then Ainz spoke again.

"Alright, shall we begin?"

"I'm ready when you are"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **There you have it. This chapter is quite longer and also darker than usual, and I admit it. I just wanted to conclude Mel Rose's first arc so I can shift back the focus to Ryu for the next few chapters. Speaking of which, I have some things to attend to, so the next chapter might take a bit longer than usual.**

 **See you later.**


	31. Chapter 27: Mastering Photons

**Hi again, everybody!**

 **As usual, I'd like to begin with thanking those who have been following, both vocal and silent ones. Everything means a lot for me.**

 **Here is the next chapter, and see you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ainz pointed his finger at the Amphitheater's arena wall. He and Ryu were standing in the middle of the arena, so there was quite a distance between them and the wall.

"I'm going to cast a spell. Watch closely"

[Dragon Lightning]

A streak of lightning which somewhat resembled the shape of a dragon's head came out from the tip of Ainz's finger. It quickly advanced towards the wall with electric sound, and then disappeared without damaging anything. The arena wall was made to be quite sturdy after all, so it was nothing weird.

Ryu seemed mildly amazed by the spell.

"That was the spell which I used to kill the... what was the name again?"

"Darkers"

"Yeah, Darkers. Anyway, I killed them with that spell the first time I encountered them"

"I see"

Ainz folded his arms and looked at Ryu.

"Now, show me a spell of yours which is similar to the one I just casted"

"Alright"

Ryu then took the purple rod from his back and wielded it pointing at the same point of the wall.

"You don't need to worry about damaging the building, so unleash your full power"

"Alright"

Ryu charged energy into his weapon and then he pointed it at the same spot. A large lightning from above struck the area near the wall. The ground struck by the lightning left a visible scorched Lichtenberg Figure.

 _The power is about equal to tier seven or eight arcane spell._

"Ryu, take this"

Ainz reached into his inventory and pulled out a magic staff. Its design was simple; A wooden long staff slightly shorter than Ryu's weapon, with a single red orb at one end. This weapon was one of the many weapons Ainz had used throughout his YGGDRASIL career. Performance wise, this staff was trash for his current self. Ainz kept it simply because it was the very first weapon he had crafted by his own two hands, so the value was just sentimental.

Ryu received the staff and examined it for a little while.

"Try casting the same spell with it"

Ryu nodded and began casting the spell. Soon, a lightning bolt struck the same spot. However, this time the lightning strike was quite smaller.

 _That one is only about equal to a tier five._

"Any useful info from this, Ainz-dono?"

"One more cast, but this time from your bare hands"

"Alright"

Ryu did as instructed, and this time the lightning was even smaller.

 _Tier three..._

"In all three casts, were you trying your hardest to cast it at full power?"

"Yes"

"I see"

Ainz put his hand under his chin, deeply thinking and processing the information he had just seen. From what had just happened, Ainz could draw a conclusion that the destructive power of Ryu's spells heavily depended on his weapon. Without a high quality weapon, his spells were just as strong as high rank adventurers in this world, which were just insignificant insects compared to Nazarick combatants. This was quite an advantage for Ainz since he could still be effective in combat even without wielding any weapons, although his weapon, particularly the [Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown], would give him a significant boost.

Another point he could draw was that Ryu, and probably all ARKS personnel as well, was somewhat compatible with YGGDRASIL weapon in an interesting way. For Ainz, his old staff would provide a 10% power increase of his spells. On the other hand, for Ryu the staff would raise the destructive power of his spells by two tiers.

 _The Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown triples the power of my spells on top of other bonuses it provides. I better don't try letting him wield it._

"Ryu, if you don't mind, lend me your weapon"

"Sure"

Ryu gave his purple staff to Ainz, who then took a closer look on every part of it. Ainz was quite astonished with the high-tech look of the weapon, and he once again wondered how far technology had advanced out there in space.

[Dragon Lightning]

Ainz once again casted the spell, but this time he used Ryu's weapon. After the lightning hit the wall, Ainz let out a small sigh.

"There's no difference from my last cast"

Ainz then returned the staff to Ryu and took back his old staff, which he immediately put into his inventory.

"Ainz-dono, may I know what exactly you are trying to find out?"

"I want to find out how far the difference between my magic and your 'magic' is. This staff is a low quality weapon supposed to just slightly increase the power of spells, but you somehow still benefit from it and quite significantly at that, although still less than your own weapon"

Both Ryu and Ainz folded their arms as he spoke.

"On the other hand, I didn't gain any power increase from your weapon. It might be too early to draw a conclusion, but I think I am not compatible with how your weapons work"

There was a silence for at least ten seconds.

"Ainz-dono, this is just a random thought but... how about trying to cast a photon tech?"

 _What?_

"Could you elaborate on that, Ryu?"

"My weapon is meant to be used to cast photon tech after all, so maybe..."

Ryu offered his purple staff to Ainz once again. Ainz, being quite curious and excited at the prospect of learning something new, took the staff.

"So, what was the name of the one you casted?"

"Zonde"

"Alright"

Ainz then looked at the wall with determined mind. He tried picturing the single strike of lightning from the sky in his mind, and pointed the staff at the wall.

"Zonde!"

Nothing happened.

A feel of embarrassment creeped up inside Ainz's mind. He then facepalmed with a sigh. He looked at Ryu, who seemed to be trying hard not to laugh.

"What's funny?"

"Ahahah... nothing. Ahahah..."

 _Did he just pranked me or what?_

"I believe what we are doing is not a laughing matter. I sincerely hope you never intended to make a waste of our time"

Ryu finally collected himself after a few more seconds of holding off his laugh.

"It's just that I still haven't given you a photon disc"

"What is a photon disc?"

"To put it simply, knowledge of photon arts and techs are stored inside a photon disc for us operatives to learn them in an instant"

 _That's pretty much like a skill book in RPG video games! How on earth did ARKS manage to make such a thing?!_

Ryu then reached into the inner pocket of his coat and took out a quite large disc of yellow color. The disc was about as large as the Laserdisc of pre-21st century Ainz had read about in his previous life. Putting that aside, Ainz was curious about something else.

 _How the hell did he take out a disc this large from his coat pocket? Don't tell me..._

"This disc contains Zonde. Try using it"

Ainz took the disc with his left hand and examined it closely. There was nothing weird with it. It just seemed like a simple large disc of yellow color. Ainz then looked at Ryu while still holding it in his left hand and holding Ryu's staff in his right hand.

"How do I use it?"

"I usually just put it against my chest and concentrate my mind on it. But..."

Ryu began holding his laugh again.

"What's funny this time?"

"Well, actually concentrating on it is already enough. Some operatives I remember... they do weird ritual when they use disc, like... smacking their face with it, or doing a weird dance that looks like it came from a cult"

 _Are people of ARKS actually a bunch of weirdos?_

"Uhh, anyway, concentrating huh?"

Ainz then looked closely at the disc and concentrated his mind on it.

 _Give me Zonde!_

Nothing happened. Ainz sighed again.

"It seems I'm not compatible at all with photon stuff"

"Too bad then"

Despite what he had said, Ainz didn't want to give up. One reason was that he was curious and wanted to learn new things. The second, probably more significant reason was that if he managed to learn these photon stuffs, he would possess totally new things in his arsenal, which would give him significant advantage if someday he had to fight another YGGDRASIL player.

"Let me try again"

"Sure"

Ainz then concentrated his mind on the disc again, and then smacked it into his face.

Nothing happened.

Ainz then put the disc on the ground and sat on it in meditating position.

5 minutes later, still nothing happened.

Ainz tried eating the disc.

Nothing happened, and the disc remained undamaged.

Ainz tried dancing with moves he made up on the spot and the disc in his hand.

Nothing happened, and once again Ryu had to try not to laugh.

 _I don't want to give up on this, but the longer I do this the more time goes to waste. Oh well, at least I will try appraising it._

[All Appraisal Magic Item]

Ainz intended to see if this spell would at least give him a useful description. However, the disc suddenly disappeared and his body briefly let out a pale blue glow.

"What? What just happened?"

Ryu smiled and seemed excited hearing Ainz's question.

"Congratulations. You have learned Zonde"

"What?!"

"The disc disappearing and the body briefly glowing are the signs that you have properly used the disc"

"But I didn't intend on using it just now. I merely casted an appraisal magic to see what I could get from it"

"At this point I'm just going to go with the assumption that photon and this planet's magic are connected and compatible in a strange kind of way"

 _He has a point._

"A-Alright. Let me try then"

Ainz then looked at the wall which had been used as target practice and pointed Ryu's staff at it. He had a little doubt for a second, but suddenly he just knew how to cast the photon tech he had just learned.

 _Zonde!_

A single strike of a large lightning bolt happened on the spot. The lightning was significantly larger than the biggest lightning bolt Ryu had casted, and the struck wall showed significant damage.

 _That's pretty much a tier ten! Ah, no. It's just a tier nine. Don't get too excited._

"Take this back"

Ainz returned Ryu's weapon and once again he tried casting the same tech from his bare hand.

 _Zonde!_

The lightning strike happening next was still as large as his previous cast. This perplexed his mind since this pretty much meant Ryu's weapon had no meaning at all for him. Ryu himself seemed quite confused with what he had just seen.

"Ryu, do you have any idea?"

"No, not at all"

"Hmm... Tell me, how does your weapon work? You still can cast your techs even without it, right?"

"Yes, as a Force class I can cast techs even without equipping any weapon. What the weapon does is working along with my body to channel the photon energy"

"I can't derive much from that. Is there anything else?"

"To put it simply, it works as an additional power. My knowledge is lacking when it comes to the detailed technical things"

Ainz put his hand on his chin, trying to process the answer from Ryu.

 _In game term that's probably the same as attack stat. Assuming that the weapon merely gives attack stat..._

There was one possible answer Ainz could think of. If the destructive power of the tech depended on the total attack stat between the caster's natural stat and the weapon's stat, the lack of difference between casting the lightning tech with and without a weapon probably meant that his natural attack stat was so high in ARKS standard the additional attack stat from the weapon became negligible.

To put an example, if someone had a natural attack power of 500 and he equipped a weapon which gave 1000 attack power, in total his attack power would be tripled. However, if someone with 20000 attack power equipped the same weapon, his attack power would be increased by merely 5%. This might have been the case for Ainz.

 _Ah, almost forgot to check the difference in my MP pool._

Ainz then checked in his mind about how much the cost of casting Zonde twice had been deducted from his mana pool. He was then quite surprised that his mana pool had been decreased by the amount as if he had merely casted one tier five spell.

 _This is just too good to be true! A pretty much tier nine spell at less cost than tier five!?_

Ainz got really excited at the prospect right in front of his eyes. The availability of cheap, spammable spells with strength equal to tier nine spells would greatly bolster his overall strength. He immediately felt that he had to know more about this.

"Ryu, please explain something about your spells, or techs as you call them. How many are there?"

"Six elements, each has seven techs. So 42 in total. The elements are Fire, Ice, Thunder, Wind, Light, and Dark"

 _That's so few compared to YGGDRASIL spells._

"Are any of them more powerful than the other? Like an ultimate spell or some kind?"

"There are some which behave like that, but the point of the various techs are their different behaviour which would fit different situations. Techs which are stronger also have drawbacks such as long charge time or high energy cost, sometimes both"

"Oh, I see"

"I can't say anything about Meru's laser beam tech. I have never seen anything like that before"

"Let's just ignore that until we can ask her directly"

Ainz remembered something as Ryu spoke. That one spell which amputated Primal Fire Elemental's arm with a single hit was probably a spell designed to deal a heavy single target damage when there was an opening, taking into account the long charge time. And then there was the dark claws spell which was pretty much a fire-and-forget type of spell.

"So, Ryu. The one we just casted, I'm guessing it is one of the simpler spells? It's just a single lightning strike after all"

"Yes. It is usually the first lightning element tech ARKS operatives learn, and I was no exception"

From this exchange and the fact that one of the basic spells of ARKS could reach such destructive power, Ainz could conclude that the way ARKS spells worked was very different than YGGDRASIL spells.

In YGGDRASIL, one could raise their magic attack power as high as the game content would let them, but a mere tier three Fireball would still be a tier three Fireball worthless against high level monsters and enemy players. That was why there were spells of higher tiers designed to work against stronger adversaries.

On the other hand, ARKS spells would just get stronger according to the caster's attack power. A simple lightning strike would be still a simple lightning strike, but much grander in scale with high attack power and much more destructive to the point of equaling a tier nine arcane spell.

 _I must learn as many of these techs as possible._

"Ryu, by any chance, do you have more of that disc?"

"Sure, but I need a table or such to put them"

"Let's move over there then. You can use Fly now, right?"

"Yes"

Ainz and Ryu used [Fly] to move to the VIP seats section. Right in front of the fancy seat reserved for him as the owner of the guild, there was a table usually used to put food and drink, which was pointless thanks to his undead nature.

"You can use that table"

"Alright"

Ryu then reached his hand into the inner side of his coat and pulled out another large yellow disc. He then put it on the table and reached into his coat again, pulled another out, and put it on top of the previous disc.

 _Uhh..._

Ryu kept repeating his action, and the discs began stacking high.

 _What...?_

Ryu showed no sign of stopping. By now he was beginning another stack of discs.

 _Whaaaaat!?_

Some minutes later, there were six stacks of discs.

 _What the hell!?_

Finally, when Ryu stopped, the table was fully occupied by a mountain of discs.

"I still have more, but I guess this stack will collapse if I put any more of this"

"Hold on a second. How- how did you pull out this many things from your coat?"

Despite asking the question, Ainz could make a sure guess that Ryu had an inventory system just like himself. But the main point was that his own inventory system was based on YGGDRASIL game inventory system, which he had somehow retained in this world as some kind of space magic. On the other hand, Ryu's inventory system was a real thing and, if his words were to be believed, was technology instead of magic.

 _Can humanity in my previous life ever advance to this point?_

"Photon inventory. I believe you have something similar, right Ainz-dono?"

"Indeed. But it is magic. While yours, if what you have been saying about ARKS is true, is technology. They are fundamentally different to begin with"

"Ah, I see your point"

Ainz decided not to dig into it any further for now, since he had just noticed something about the stack of discs in front of his eyes.

"Putting that aside, I see that some of these discs are of different colors. There are red discs and blue discs. What are they?"

"The red ones are Photon Arts for melee weapons, and the blue ones are Photon Arts for ranged weapons. Let me help you on how to read the labels of the discs"

"Oh, I will be in your care then"

Ryu then taught Ainz about how to read the labels on the discs. During the crash course Ainz also learned about the various weapons ARKS soldiers could utilize. Some of them felt familiar to him, while the others were either totally unfamiliar, or only specifically familiar to his Suzuki Satoru self instead of Ainz.

"I think that's all. Feel free to ask if you have questions"

"Let me confirm. Are you giving all these to me? No payback expected?"

"Yes"

"What is your reason for doing this?"

"Darkers are invading this planet and, excepting Mel Rose whom we don't know the whereabouts, I am the only ARKS on the field and you are the only local capable of putting a fight against them. So until the rest of the ARKS come I have to assist you in any way I can, in hopes that you will assist me as well"

"So you are putting your trust in me? What if I use the knowledge and power from you for my own selfish desires? What would you do?"

"If you had been that evil, by now E-Rantel would have become a city of undead. Despite the questionable actions I have seen from you, I still believe that on the bigger picture you are just a person trying to survive"

There were five seconds of silence, and then Ryu let out a small sigh and folded his arms.

"Well, if it turns out that you're really that selfish, I will just accept that I am a naive failure of a man"

Ainz pondered deeply in his mind. Ryu had a point about the alien invasion. As far as he could understand, those aliens were savage beasts who would never give a damn about the life of this world. They were a force of destruction which would never stop for any reason.

 _I will be a complete moron if I just ditch his request for assistance for my selfish reason_.

Like it or not, Ainz was already involved simply by living in this world, and there would be no use trying to survive if there was no world to live in. He had never had any choice from the beginning.

"Ryu, I will be frank and say that you indeed should work on lowering your naivety"

Ryu just listened. His expression didn't change.

"However, I am going to tell you that I swear, in the name of Ainz Ooal Gown, that I will be your ally and will assist you with the best of my ability in your fight against the invading Darkers, at least until reinforcements from ARKS arrive"

Ryu seemed relieved hearing Ainz's words. He bowed in respect and gratitude.

"I am in your debt again, and I am truly grateful for your willingness to assist"

"You don't owe me anything. This new power you gave me is already more than enough. In fact, I must say that I am the one owing you"

Ainz was serious in his words. He would definitely pay an arm and a leg if that meant he would get to learn new spells with powers equivalent to 9th tier arcane spells but with MP cost of 5th tier. However, knowing Ryu's personality, he would probably just waive it. This would be a very great deal for Ainz it felt like a steal.

"I will keep that in mind and collect later then"

 _Wha-?_

"Uhh, yes. Because we have a more important matter at hand"

 _He didn't waive it? That's... unexpected. I guess he had learned a thing or two from our previous encounters._

With the less-probable outcome happening, Ainz recalculated his future plans of action. Now that he owed Ryu, Ainz could no longer make use of him as he pleased because the bargaining chip was on his hands.

 _The deal turned out not to be a steal after all_. _Oh well..._

With the deal pretty much sealed, Ainz directed his attention at the stack of discs on the table. He was particularly interested in a few of the weapon types covered by the discs.

[Message]

"Albedo"

"Ainz-sama. I am at your service"

"Tell Yuri Alpha and CZ Delta to come to the Amphitheater as soon as they can"

"Understood, Ainz-sama. Both of them will be there with haste"

It took less than five minutes for both of them to arrive. Upon arrival, both of them kneeled in front of Ainz.

"We have heard your call and we came here with great haste. What is your order, Ainz-sama?"

Yuri was the one speaking, while CZ stayed silent. It was not unusual since Yuri was the deputy leader of the Pleiades, so she would be the one speaking as representative.

"I want both of you to participate in an experiment"

Ainz said that as he raised his hands, each was holding several discs. His left hand held several red discs, while his right hand held blue discs.

Both Yuri and CZ looked confused.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ten minutes later...

One pie section of the Amphitheater, particularly the one which had been used as target practice for the lightning spell, had been reduced to rubble. Both CZ and Yuri were very confused and astonished by what had just happened.

Ainz, seeing that, began laughing.

"Ha... Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Ainz's excited laugh echoed throughout the Amphitheater. It is at this point anyone familiar with fantasy stories would relate Ainz's laugh to the laugh of an evil overlord.

 _I might have made a deal with the Devil..._

Ryu, standing beside Ainz, couldn't help feeling that he might had just made a mistake, despite Ainz's words about his assistance.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Well, that's about it for now. If I have to give a timestamp to canon, I'd say this is the day Sebas picks up Tsuare from the brothel front door.**

 **Until next time.**


	32. Chapter 28: Black Intruder

**Hi, all! Sorry for the extended absence. I will just be honest and say that I have been hooked playing Monster Hunter World. I blame my brother for that. XD**

 **I'll just cut to the chase and begin the chapter. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

In the dead of night, somewhere in Re-Estize Kingdom...

A man was standing still deep inside a great forest. He stood with his arms folded, and his bright red eyes were facing straight to his front. His spiky magenta hair waved with the wind, and the same applied to his dark grey long coat, the collar of which was tall and went around his head, keeping his mouth concealed by the collar most of the time.

The forest didn't particularly have strong monsters, but wild monsters did exist in this forest. None of them, even the usually aggressive ones, dared to get close to this man. There was something dark, sinister, and menacing about him, and all of the wildlife could feel that.

"Hmph!"

A dark, blood red energy vortex appeared around the man. He released his armfolding stance and began floating up slightly. Within seconds, his body was fully enveloped by the energy vortex and disappeared from view. Then, in its place, a humanoid creature appeared as the energy vortex dissipated.

The creature was four meters tall and its body seemed as if it was made from a strange kind of stone. If it were not for the fact that it was four meters tall and its lower half of its legs had reverse joints like a quadruped, it could pass as a person wearing full armor.

Behind its back, a large curved sword seemingly made of the same material as his body was attached in a way that the sword looked like a large mohawk hair reaching all the way to its ankles.

This creature was Hunar, the humanoid lesser form of Dark Falz Elder.

Hunar took the sword from his back and tried swinging it around. Crescent shaped energy shockwaves were shot from the sword as he was swinging it, cutting off every trees and rocks in their path before they dissipated about ten meters away. He ended his practice with a heavy downward slash.

"UGH!"

The sword slipped from his hand and dropped to the ground. Hunar himself fell to one knee and panted heavily. Both his sword and his body started to crumble like shattered rock. Once again, a blood red energy vortex appeared and enveloped both his body and his sword, and they disappeared from view.

The aforementioned man reappeared as the vortex dissipated, still down on one knee and panting.

"Not enough... Not enough at all!"

The man shouted and slammed the ground hard with his fist. This man was known by ARKS and his fellow Dark Falzes as Elder. Not so long ago, he had waged war against the ARKS fleet, destroying a number of their colossal spaceships. However, the combined effort of the ARKS managed to cut him down to size and ultimately destroyed his true body, forcing him to flee in this human host body.

He had fled while following a trace of photon energy spike he had detected. Normally he would have never done this, but he somehow had felt something interesting about this particular energy spike and the ARKS person relevant to that. As a result, he had arrived on this planet he never knew existed.

This planet was very interesting for Elder. The energy radiating from this planet as a whole was very potent and suitable for him to absorb and use to regain his true body. But his attention was mostly fixated on the being whom the ARKS person seemed to ally with. That being had so much energy, Elder himself couldn't believe it. He really wanted to battle that being.

Unfortunately, as of right now, Elder was very beat up. His lost battle had left him with barely enough energy to maintain his Hunar form for one minute. He needed much more than that if he wanted to have any hope of challenging the bearer of that energy.

"I need more..."

Elder stood up with determination to find other possible sources of energy before he would dare to challenge that bearer. To do this, he heightened his senses to scan for energy readings.

 _Interesting..._

He had vaguely sensed it before landing on this planet, but now that he was standing on the planet, he felt confirmed that other than the energy bearer, he also could sense a number of high energy readings from nearly every directions. None of them were as intense, but a few of them were quite close.

 _This planet is like a dream come true!_

Ever since his awakening, Elder only had one interest; A good battle. He had long ignored his destined task as a Dark Falz in favor of challenging worthy opponents. With each victory he would absorb energy, and with each loss he would flee and try again later. This planet had numerous amounts of potent targets.

But he was not stupid. He would never challenge an opponent he knew he had no chance of winning. Therefore, in order to be able to challenge the high energy bearers, he would challenge the lesser ones first.

"I sense a quite suitable one at the northwest"

Elder couldn't pinpoint the exact location, but he still could sense the general direction and rough distance of this particular energy reading, and therefore he was determined to begin his hunt. A blood red energy vortex appeared behind him and he jumped backwards into the vortex, disappearing from view.

Elder's teleportation technique brought him into what seemed like the front yard of a large mansion. The distance from the front gate and the entrance into the mansion was quite great an average person would need at least five minutes to walk through the distance.

"Hmm..."

Elder felt that the energy signature he had sensed should be somewhere nearby, but with his current condition he couldn't put much trust to his own sense.

Therefore, he decided to just storm into the mansion and see if anyone inside would be a worthy opponent.

 **CRASH!**

With a single strike from his fist, the front door slammed open to the inside. The lighting inside the mansion was very dim, which was natural since this was bedtime for humans.

"S-Stop right there!"

A pair of men, seemingly the guards of the mansion, stood in front of Elder at a fair distance. They wore light armor with a spear as their weapon. They seemed to be very surprised by the sudden rude visit, but they maintained their position and pointed their spears at Elder. Elder was indifferent, ignoring their threats because he didn't feel any power from them.

"Worthless bugs"

With a swift move, Elder charged at one of the two guards and delivered a straight punch to the face. After hitting, he followed up with a hook to the other guard. Both of the guards were thrown away by the force of the punch and died on the spot from snapped necks. Their bodies hit the wall, and then the floor, with loud thud sounds.

"I'm nowhere close to my full strength and yet you still end up dead. Worthless"

Elder felt that his teleportation had missed the mark. There was nobody strong enough to give him a decent challenge in this mansion. Therefore, he was about to turn back and leave the place of no significance. However, he noticed a faint energy reading in a very close distance. It was weak and nearly worthless, but he would welcome any energy source at his current state.

And so Elder decided to approach the bearer of this energy.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

From behind the corner of a wall where a person could peek and overlook the front hall of the mansion, a woman was leaning to the said wall. Her outfit was merely a bed robe, since she had been about to fall asleep when she had suddenly heard a loud crash sound, and had decided to take a look. Her face was pale and grim, as if she knew the end of her life was near.

This woman was Hilma Cygnaeus, the head of Eight Fingers Drug Trafficking Division, and this mansion was her home base.

Hilma had no idea what had just happened within her home base. When she arrived at this corner and tried peeking, all she saw was two of her guards dead and a mysterious man standing over their bodies.

 _That man, whoever he is, is dangerous._

Indeed there were only two guards stationed there, but if that man got there it meant he had broken through the main guard force stationed at the front gate, unless this man could teleport past them somehow. In Hilma's knowledge, the only person within the kingdom who could cast teleportation magic was one member of Blue Rose, so it was better to assume that he had broken through. In either case, she knew that she had to escape, because it was her principle to move when she had to, or else she would become food for others.

Unfortunately, her options were limited.

The secret room which she would use to escape from situations like this, was located in a place where she had to walk past that man to reach. In her current situation, her best bet was to hide somewhere in the mansion and wait until the man went away. Not the best course of action, but it was the best option she had.

Hilma stealthily began walking away from the spot, trying her best not to make any noise that would give her position away to the man.

"Hey, you!"

Chills went down through Hilma's body as she heard the voice. There was no mistaking it. She had been found by the mysterious man. Realizing that her chance of escaping was pretty much none, she slowly turned back to face the man.

"What do you want from me?"

Hilma knew that she was very likely to be killed soon by this man. He was swift and very capable of combat, so her only possible way to get out of this alive, however slim the chance, was to talk her way out. But first she had to find out this man's goal.

"Fight me!"

Hilma couldn't believe what she had just heard. She had no combat capability at all, and any normal person would know it.

"But I'm just an ordinary woman. I can't fight"

"Lies! I sense your energy. You have something up your sleeves"

 _Is this man sensing my Viper's Tattoo?_

Viper's Tattoo was Hilma's ace in the hole. With her command, the tattoo of snake figure on her body could come to life and bite the target, injecting powerful lethal neurotoxin. However, it was mainly a tool for assassination instead of actual combat. In addition, Hilma herself was physically just an ordinary woman. There was no way she could fight this dangerous man.

"I really can't fight... Is there anything else I can possibly give you...?"

The man let out a sigh.

"You're worthless. I will just look somewhere else then"

He then turned back. At this point, a feeling of being offended crept up into Hilma's mind. She took pride in her ability to conquer any man, one way or another. Being called 'worthless' by a man was a huge hit in that pride, and she couldn't just accept that.

"Wait! Please let me ask one thing! Is your objective only to fight?"

The man stopped, and answered without looking back.

"What if it is? It's none of your business"

"I know strong men who can fight you. How about we make a deal?"

The man turned around and stood there with his arms folded, seemingly at least willing to listen.

"It better be a good deal, or you will regret wasting my time"

Hilma smiled in her mind. This unexpectedly strong intruder might turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Tomb of Nazarick, Grand Dining Room, Noon. Two Days After Carne Village Monster Attack.**

Ryu felt confused and astonished at the same time.

In front of him right now was a grand long dining table which normally only be used by nobles or royal family. He was seated facing one side of the table, and next to him were Lily at his left and Alice at his right. Across him, seated at the other side of the table, were three people from Carne Village whom he already knew; Nfirea, Enri, and her little sister. Everyone seemed to have the same feeling as him.

At one end of the long table, there seated Ainz; the one and only owner of this grand place. He once again wore his mask and gauntlet since he wanted to maintain the secret of him being an undead to the three villagers.

The table was mostly empty other than some decorations and candles, but that didn't last for long. Soon, the door at one end of the room opened, and from there came in several women in maid outfit bringing forth dishes. They swiftly, yet neatly, put the dishes in front of every seated guest. Within less than one minute, the table was filled to the brim with various kinds of grand cuisine.

"I wanted to have an arranged course for this at first, but I decided that it would have felt too restricted and stifling"

Ainz said that without moving from his spot.

"In any case, before you start digging in, allow me a few words"

Ainz stood up from his seat and cleared his throat.

"We are here in celebration of two different matters. One, for the successful creation of a new kind of healing potion by the hard work of Nfirea Bareae. Two, the bravery of the adventurers defending Carne Village from monster invasion. If it were not for your effort, Carne Village would have been destroyed before I arrived, and none of you would have been here"

Ainz briefly stopped, and then he began speaking again.

"Also, I would like to express my gratitude to Ryu over there. Thanks to his assistance in my research, we have understood much more about the mysterious monsters, and therefore if they attack again we will be more prepared"

After saying that, Ainz gave a slow applause which sounded strange since it was the sound of two metal gauntlets clapping. Everyone else other than Ryu himself followed, and Ryu couldn't help feeling a little happy and proud at the same time.

"Without further delay, you can start digging in. I have some things to attend to, so I won't be joining in. After all..."

Ainz once again briefly stopped. His face turned to look at the three villagers.

"Families"

Ainz then looked at Ryu's group.

"And comrades"

Another brief silence.

"All of you should enjoy the meals without reservations. Afterwards we will continue discussing business"

Ainz then turned around, walked away from the table, and left the room. The guests all sat in silence, being unsure if they could start eating all the meals in front of them.

Ryu was the one who finally broke the silence. He began scooping some of the food into his plate.

"I think we should start eating, or else they will get cold"

The rest of them agreed, though at varying time. Lily and Enri's sister were the fastest to follow, and Enri herself was the latest along with Nfirea.

"Ryu-san"

Liz called him with low voice, seemingly trying not to let anyone else hear her.

"Yes, Liz?"

"With a home this grand, and everything I have no idea of, I say that you were lucky that you didn't become his enemy. His power is worlds apart from what any human could ever hope to achieve"

"Definitely"

Ryu replied with a straight tone and face. Thinking about it, he first had met Ainz, who back then still bearing the name Momonga, just by chance thanks to his photon tech test. If he had met Ainz any other way, there would have been no guarantee that they would become allies like this.

Despite the alliance, Ryu once again felt a feeling of fear and worry creeping up in his mind. The photon discs he had given to Ainz two days ago had turned out to be of much greater significance than he had expected. He had essentially empowered the already all-powerful being, and he would be the one to take responsibility if someday Ainz became an enemy to mankind for some reason.

Ryu's appetite took a hit from the worry, and he slowed down his eating.

About half an hour later, Ainz returned to the dining room. At this time the table had already been cleaned from all the food. He sat down on his previous seat and began speaking.

"I suppose you all have had your fillings. How was it?"

"They were all delicious! I loved them!"

Enri's little sister was the one to answer first. She looked very happy saying that.

"Nemu!"

Enri looked embarrassed, and she bowed frantically to Ainz.

"Please forgive my sister's rudeness, Ainz Ooal Gown-dono!"

Ainz just raised his head and laughed.

"Hahaha! It's fine! Anyway... Huh?"

Ainz's speech suddenly got cut off. He lowered his head and raised one hand to his ear.

"Solution? Ah, this isn't the right time but since you're contacting me... Wait a moment"

Ainz gave a hand signal to the guests, telling them to wait a moment. He then turned away and walked some distance to prevent them from hearing him.

"That's very likely a Message spell he received from somewhere"

Alice was the one speaking, and the rest of the guests could hear her clearly. Nobody said anything, though.

Ryu looked at Ainz who was still in conversation with whoever called him. The distance prevented him from hearing anything, but soon Ainz's body gesture clearly showed that he was surprised. The conversation continued for several minutes until he finally turned back and walked to his seat.

While still standing, Ainz spoke to the guests.

"It is unfortunate, but something urgent has come up and I need to take care of it. Therefore, I have to end this event early and send you home. I apologize for that"

Ainz bowed a bit as he said the last sentence.

"No, it's fine, Ainz Ooal Gown-dono! We understand that you are busy! Please don't apologize!"

Enri frantically said that, looking quite in a panic.

"I will make up for this later. But for now, I must ask you to return home"

"No! You don't need to make up for anything! We are already more than happy for all these!"

Ainz conjured the usual dark portal next to him. Nfirea, who had been just watching flustered Enri, stood up and spoke to her.

"Let's go home, Enri"

He said that with a smile, and that seemed to calm her down. Enri nodded, took her sister's hand, and then the three villagers then walked into the portal and disappeared from sight. The portal still stayed, and Ainz looked at Ryu's group.

"You three should go too"

"Ainz-dono. Is there any chance I... we can help you with the matter somehow?"

"Ryu, your concern is appreciated, but there is no need. This is my own problem which I should take care of personally"

"I see"

"No need to worry. I suspect that this is not as bad as it sounds"

"Then, we will take our leave"

Ryu's group stood up from their seat and walked to the portal. Before going through, each of them said their farewell in their own ways.

"See you again later, Ainz-dono"

"Good luck with the matter, whatever it is"

"Bye, Papa!"

Soon enough, the group arrived back at Carne Village, and the portal disappeared behind them. In front of them were the three villagers seemingly waiting for them.

"Well, I guess this is time for us to go back then"

Ryu said that, knowing that the village should be safe now that Ainz had increased the security. Though he couldn't see any difference, he just assumed that Ainz had added invisible creatures or something.

"Thank you for all your help back then! I can't imagine what would have happened if you all were not here!"

Enri bowed as she spoke out her gratitude.

"I want to pay you properly, but we are quite short on money. Please wait until I can gather enough!"

"Ah, no. There's no need to pay. I mean, there's no official request to the guild and I came here intending just to visit"

"But-"

"I'll be happier if any amount of money you have in your mind for paying us is used for the betterment of this village"

Ryu looked at his two partners and asked a question.

"You agree with me, right?"

Both Lily and Alice nodded.

"T-Thank you!"

Enri bowed in gratitude. Her sister and Nfirea also followed.

"Besides, this is already much more than enough as payment"

Alice said that while holding the Flight Necklace she wore.

Soon, the three villagers went away after saying proper farewell, and Ryu's group stood there looking at each other.

"Let's go back to E-Rantel then. By flying"

"We all will need this then"

[Minor Barrier]

Alice casted a spell on everyone there including herself. A minor yellow light radiated from their body.

"Can't have bugs and dust go into our eyes, can we?"

"True"

Ryu had not thought about that matter since his photon armor always protected him wholly, but indeed such protection was needed when flying at high speed for normal human.

"Let's go then"

With a little countdown beforehand, the three of them flew away from Carne Village and sped towards E-Rantel. While flying, Ryu had several things going in his mind. One of them was his hesitation on a decision.

 _Should I also try giving photon discs to Alice and Lily?_

He had planned to give some discs to them, but with what had happened in Nazarick, he couldn't help hesitating.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Like I have said before, Volume 5 is mostly offscreen. Right now Sebas should be 'training' Climb and soon will be raiding the brothel.**

 **The bestiary gallery linked in my bio has been updated. Check it out if you like.**

 **See you again later.**


	33. Chapter 29: Insight of Leaders

**Hi, all! Author here again.**

 **I will once again put a reminder that I have links on my profile which lead to galleries in case any of you want to see how things look like. Or if you prefer to fill in the blanks with your own imagination, feel free to do so.**

 **Nevertheless, here is the next chapter. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Middle Fire Month (8th Month), 26th Day, 17:40**

The royal capital of Re-Estize Kingdom, which had the same name as the kingdom itself, was bathed in the light of the setting sun, painting every building with the color of pale orange.

Most of the citizens were ready to wrap up their business for that day, although there were a number who still intended to continue further into the coming night. Those with a fixed work schedule were already walking home with the intention to rest, and then resume at the following day.

Among the citizens, there was this particular group of adventurers walking through the streets of the capital. There were four of them; three men and one girl, although the way the girl dressed would make pretty much anyone think that she was a man like the others. A gold plate signifying Gold Rank were hanging from the neck of each of the adventurers.

This group was none other than Swords of Darkness. They had just completed their latest job and now they were walking off from the Adventurer's Guild after turning in their report.

"Glad we made it in time"

"Ha! Took the words right out from my mouth!"

The exchange between Peter and Dyne happened because all four of them were quite exhausted, and they wanted to spend the night in the proper shelter of an inn instead of camping out in the wilderness.

"I can't wait to taste the drinks of the tavern, and admire the gorgeous lady!"

"Lukrut-san... you know it never ends well for you"

Lukrut just laughed heartily hearing Ninya's remark, while Ninya herself just gave out a wry smile.

Despite the generally happy atmosphere on the outside, a feeling of gloom lurked at the inside of the group. They had come to the capital with the goal of finding out the whereabouts of Ninya's sister. They had worked themselves to the bone, getting promoted to Gold Rank in the process, and making as much connections as they possibly could to gather more information, but so far they had not obtained much.

To make matters worse, the small bits of information they had actually managed to get was bad news for them. In truth, they felt that they could have been better off not knowing this.

They had learned that women who had been forcefully taken away from their home by nobles would likely be sold into slavery or to a brothel. However, since slavery had been recently abolished and made illegal, the remaining fate for them was to become prostitutes at underground brothels, which in all likelihood could be worse depending on what kind of client they met. In the end, a woman who has exhausted her usefulness would be disposed and left for dead.

In addition, underground services, brothels included, were run by the criminal organization known as Eight Fingers. Anyone with a decent amount of knowledge would know not to even step close into their business unless they were prepared for what would come next.

No matter how high the Swords of Darkness group held their hopes, they had to face the reality that the chance of Ninya's sister being still alive after this much time had passed was slim. Even if she still was, the chance of her being still physically and mentally well was even lower. And even if by some miraculous chance she still was, the group still didn't have a way to get to her and rescue her. The seemingly hopeless situation only served to put the group deeper into despair.

Ninya was the one most affected. Often times while walking she just became speechless, bowing her head with a seemingly sad face expression. She felt really guilty making her partners work so much for her sake, while knowing that everything had a high chance to end up getting pointless.

This had just happened again right after Lukrut's laugh, and he was the first to notice since he was walking beside her while the others were in front. He smiled a bit and gave Ninya a pat on the back.

"Cheer up! We all agree that we will not stop until your sister's condition is confirmed, right? And hey, we're Gold Rank now! Everything we have done so far has meaning!"

Ninya smiled a little, appreciating Lukrut's effort to cheer her up. Peter and Dyne just kept walking with a smile on their face, knowing that Lukrut was the best guy in this matter. Like what Lukrut has said, even if the worst case scenario of Ninya's sister being already dead was confirmed, the group as a whole had established a pretty good career as adventurers, and at this point they already had enough savings to live off for at least one year without lifting a finger.

"Let's take a shortcut to the inn"

Peter exclaimed his intention to take a shortcut through a nearby alley. The alley they would walk through was usually rather dark unlike the main streets, but not particularly dangerous. Moreover, everyone had learned a lot of things and thus the group had collectively become stronger than they had been when they were still in E-Rantel, meaning they could easily handle a bandit group or two.

"Wait!"

Lukrut held Peter's shoulder with a serious face. Everyone else immediately knew that something was up since despite his cheery attitude, Lukrut was always vigilant to the surroundings and so far he had been very reliable for noticing something the others couldn't.

"What did you see?"

"There's a man acting suspicious behind the corner of the alley"

"Is he armed?"

"I don't sense any weapon. He just stands there, sometimes peeking out to the streets. What do you say, Peter?"

"Hmm, let's walk past him naturally. But stay alert"

Everyone else nodded, and then they continued walking while staying vigilant. The alley corner where the man was located, was the entrance of the shortcut they intended to take. The unfolding situation didn't change their mind, and so they turned into the alley. It was at this point they could have a full view of the man. He seemed to be an ordinary man with a bulky build. He had a streak of short facial hair going around his mouth and jaw, and there was a thin scar going vertically through his right eye.

The group intended to ignore him if he didn't say anything to them, but it was the opposite which happened next.

"E-Excuse me! You are adventurers, aren't you?"

"Yes, and what do you want with us?"

Peter replied in a rather cynical tone. Against a suspicious man like this, he believed that it was a better option to not show any kind of weakness.

"I need your help! Let me hire you!"

"If you need help then you should go to the guild and post a job there"

"No! I can't do that! This is urgent! I need help right now!"

Peter stopped to think for a second. A spontaneous hiring was actually possible but it was a practice frowned upon by the guild. Normally, the client would post the job and specify whether they would place the payment in advance at the guild or pay the adventurers personally later, with different cut rates for the guild depending on which payment method. In either case, the client was obliged to pay a certain amount of money to the guild before he could officially post the job.

However, a spontaneous hiring on the streets like this would mean that the adventurers would receive all the money first hand, and without official documentation they could easily lie about how much money they got, or worse, keeping their mouth shut about the job and thus getting to keep all the money. Adventurers who did the latter was no different than workers, and in the event they get found out, they would highly likely be expelled from the guild and end up becoming workers for real.

Depending on the urgency of the matter, exceptions could be made as long as the adventurers in question reported to the guild about the job and pay the appropriate amount of cut rate to the guild. But generally, adventurers with decent conscience would avoid such spontaneous hiring.

"Tell us what you need, and we might consider"

"I need to flee from this city... No! From this kingdom!"

Peter immediately could guess that this man was being chased by something dangerous. At first glance, it wouldn't be far off to say that this man was part of a criminal group or such. The most likely scenario this man had could be that he had screwed up somewhere and now he was being hunted down, either by officials or the underground organization itself, probably Eight Fingers. Getting involved in the affairs of such organization was never a good idea.

"Sorry, we can't do that"

"Please! I can pay! Look!"

The man took out a small pouch and showed the content, which was several platinum coins. The group was surprised at the amount of money they saw. That amount would allow them to live off for at least five years without doing anything.

But they all knew that the man's generous offer had made him even more suspicious. It was outright impossible to get one's hand on even a single platinum coin unless one was at least a high class merchant or a noble, and this man didn't look like such at all.

"Sorry, we really can't help you. We have reasons to stay here in the capital for a while"

"No! Please! They will kill me!"

The man's plea was quite loud and it was unavoidable that some civilians glanced at them. Soon, several people dressed in guard uniform approached.

"What is this commotion about?"

One of the guards asked, and Peter answered.

"This man is looking to hire adventurers for an urgent matter, and he's trying to hire us on the streets"

"I see"

"Unfortunately we are too occupied to accept his request. Would you do us a favor and escort him to the guild? He seems to be very afraid for his life"

"Sure. It's just over there down the street, right?"

Peter nodded and turned to the man again.

"Tell the staff that you need immediate help. They won't ignore you if you can pay appropriately"

The man was silent as the guards escorted him to the Adventurer's Guild. Peter and the others immediately resumed their walk to the inn, but they changed their mind about using the shortcut.

Later, they arrived safely at their inn room. Right after Ninya closed the door and locked it, all of them dropped down sitting on the floor with a big sigh.

"Peter, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah, Dyne..."

Peter looked at the other two, and each of them nodded as their eyes met.

"It seems we all are"

Peter couldn't help thinking that they had just skirted a dangerous line. A thug-looking man in possession of platinum coins and seemingly afraid for his life could only mean anything but good. The most likely scenario was that he had stolen it and now he had just realized that whoever he had stolen it from was extremely dangerous, like someone affiliated with Eight Fingers, or worse, someone of high position within Eight Fingers.

"What should we do now?"

Ninya asked with a worried face.

"I don't know. For now, let's just hope we haven't been seen by them"

Peter stood up, put down all his luggage on the floor near his bed, and dropped down lying on the bed with another sigh. The group had been just carrying on their lives as adventurers, and within an instant they now had to worry about the kingdom's underground organization being on their tail.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Middle Fire Month (8th Month), 26th Day, 18:27**

"Come over here, sir"

"Wha- But the Adventurer's Guild is that way"

The man was bewildered when one of the guards prompted him into a plain-looking house instead of the Adventurer's Guild building. At this point, he already had a bad feeling.

"There's someone who wants to meet you here"

The guard smirked as he said that. The man noticed, and he gulped with pale face. The guards around him were all accomplices of Eight Fingers, and he had been found out. He wanted to run away, but he knew that if he had been found out this far he would never be safe no matter how far he could flee. His only option now was to cooperate.

Once they were inside, the man was blindfolded and led through a series of passageways and staircases. The length of the trip within didn't make sense for a plain-looking house, it was probably a deliberate roundabout trip to confuse him.

Later, he was asked to sit on a chair and he complied. His blindfold was then removed, and right in front of his eyes was the one and only big boss of him; Cocco Doll. Several guardsmen were also present in the room, armed with spears. The room itself was plain with no window and only one door. The only furniture within the room was the chair the man was sitting on, and the lighting of the room came from illumination magic.

"Well, well..."

Cocco Doll smiled while holding a familiar pouch. It was the one filled with several platinum coins which this man had. He had no idea at all when the pouch had been taken from him.

"It seems you have got yourself a nice deal, haven't you?"

Cocco Doll said that as he put his face close to the man's. The man just froze in fear, with beads of sweat running all over his face.

"I heard from my men that you were supposed to dispose of a woman, yet here you are with this amount of money..."

Cocco Doll stood straight with his right hand still holding the money pouch. The man kept himself silent.

"We all agree that you should be punished, but how about this? You tell me everything about how you got this money, and I will let you off"

The man gulped again. He knew that there was no other option for him.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Middle Fire Month (8th Month), 28th Day, 06:00**

Somewhere in an undisclosed location, several men and women were seated around a large round table. Several seats were empty, but none of the ones present seemed to care about the absence.

"So, can anyone tell me why we're here? The meeting is supposed to be next week, you know"

The man who just spoke was Zero, the head of the security division of Eight Fingers. He was a little displeased being called to this meeting room all of a sudden when the regular, scheduled meeting was already on the horizon. But since there were not only one calling for it he decided to come and see what would happen. Who knows, it might be an opportunity to earn big.

"I am here, and I will get straight to the point"

The one who had just spoken was Hilma, the head of Drug Trade Division. Zero was a bit skeptical on her since all the divisions of Eight Fingers never got along well to begin with.

"I have an important cargo delivery and I want to hire some men to escort it"

"Heh, as long as you can pay, I have no problem"

"I will discuss the details with you soon. One thing for sure, I want some men of Six Arms level, and I want them tonight"

"Those are two things, and both would crank up the price"

"If you show me results, any amount of money will be worth it"

Zero became even more skeptical about what had just happened. So far, Hilma had never hired any men from his division, saying things about leaking confidential info and stuffs, but now she had just requested an expensive job without breaking a sweat. Could this be some kind of trap? Was she preparing some kind of arrangement to make the mission a failure, thus tarnishing the name of Six Arms?

Zero smirked in his mind. In the case his guess was true, then he would gladly accept it as a challenge. He would make the mission successful, and therefore making her nefarious plan have the opposite effect of raising the name of Six Arms instead.

"Hey, what about me? Won't you let me say something?"

Suddenly another man who had been sitting on his seat spoke. It was Cocco Doll, the head of Slave Trafficking Division.

"Heh, what's your business, Cocco Doll?"

"I also want to hire a strong man, preferably of Six Arms level, for an urgent matter that just came up"

"How many do you need, and can you pay?"

"I'm good for it. Just one is enough, but I want that someone ready in an hour or two"

"I brought someone with me. I will lend him to you"

Zero looked at Hilma after saying that.

"Do you mind with that?"

Hilma elegantly put the end of her pipe into her mouth, inhaled, and then blew some smoke into the air.

"I don't need to hire all of you at once anyway. That would be overkill"

"So, any other topic to cover, or we can go straight into this business?"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Somewhere in Baharuth Empire, Unspecified Time And Date**

Four people were walking along the dirt road of a plain within the borders of Baharuth Empire. They all look a little exhausted but pretty satisfied.

One of them, a man in full clothing which hid the chainmail he wore underneath, checked a sheet of map while walking and looking at the surroundings.

"At this pace we will arrive in Arwintar by tomorrow morning"

"Great! I can't wait to get the payment!"

"Don't you always donate most of the payment?"

"That's what I'm getting at!"

The man in full body armor heartily laughed. This man was Roberdyck, and the others with him were the other members of Foresight worker team, which consisted of Hekkeran as the leader, Imina as the ranger, Arche as the arcane magic caster, and Roberdyck himself as the divine magic caster.

The Foresight team had just completed their regular undead extermination trip at Katze Plains, and now they were walking home to Arwintar to collect their reward money. Workers didn't get well-paying jobs often, so a regular trip to Katze Plains was pretty much necessary to sustain their income.

"Sorry for raining the parade but..."

Arche said that while looking at the sky.

"We will have a downpour soon"

There was no denying that the sky was covered with thick dark clouds which let nearly no sunlight through, making the surroundings within sight as dark as dusk even though it was still noon.

"Is there a spell to protect us from the rain?"

"There is, but I haven't learned it"

"Let's look for shelter in the woods then"

The rest of the group agreed with Hekkeran's idea, and they all went into the nearby forest. In Hekkeran's mind, a hollow tree or a large lush tree would be sufficient, but the former wouldn't fit all four of them and the latter wouldn't completely protect them from the rain, with the addition of the risk of lightning strike. Ideally, a rock cave would be the best find but he didn't get his hopes up on finding one.

Ten minutes later, drizzle started to fall and the group was getting worried since they had not found a suitable shelter at all yet.

"My armor will rust at this rate"

"My chainmail too, Roberdyck. None of us want to get wet. Imina, found anything?"

"I think I see a cave over there"

"Great! As expected of our ranger! Let's run for it then"

The group then increased their pace into jogging pace and went towards the cave Imina had seen. The drizzle got more intense as they got closer, and so they began running at full speed. It was fortunate that right after they all entered the cave the rain became a downpour for real.

"That was close"

Hekkeran said that with a little sigh of relief. The cave would shelter them from the rain, and fortunately the ground of the cave itself was a very slight upward slope, so no water would flow into it.

"Let's rest here for a while"

Everyone sat down on the dry ground at a distance from the entrance.

[Continual Light]

Arche casted a spell to illuminate the dark interiors of the cave. Thanks to the illumination, the group could see that the cave was not deep. The end of the cave was about a stone's throw from their position, and it was in the form of a larger circular space. However, they also noticed something else.

"Isn't that the remains of a firecamp?"

Nobody objected to Hekkeran's remark since it was obvious. Without saying anything, Imina approached the charred wood and touched it.

"It still had some warmth"

What Imina said meant that the campfire had been put out not too long ago. In addition, the group also noticed two lumps of dry grass arranged as beds by the wall of the cave, and a stack of dry wood seemingly stored to fuel more campfire in the future.

"Someone, probably two, lives in this cave"

Arche's quick conclusion had a fair chance to be correct. Whoever lived in this cave was likely to be going out for some reason such as hunting for food, which meant they would return anytime soon.

"What do you think we should do once they return here, leader?"

Hekkeran pondered about the situation. The ones living in this cave could be anything, and might even be not human. In the case they were human, they could be anything from hermits living a secluded life, or wanted criminals in hiding.

"Arche and Imina, use magic to conceal yourselves and hide in a corner. Rober and I will try talking first and see if they can be reasoned with"

Everyone else nodded hearing Hekkeran's command. Arche immediately casted a spell to conceal the presence of herself and Imina, and then they sat down at the back corner of the cave. They were not invisible, but most people wouldn't notice them if they weren't looked at directly.

"Should we dispel the light?"

Roberdyck asked about the Continual Light spell which was illuminating the cave.

"Oh yes. Arche, if you would"

Immediately, the cave became dark again. Both Hekkeran and Roberdyck sat down waiting while still keeping themselves vigilant towards the cave entrance.

Less than ten minutes later, both Hekkeran and Roberdyck heard the sounds of footsteps amidst the sound of the downpour. Indeed, they could immediately see the figure of two people hastily entering the cave.

Hekkeran couldn't believe what he saw. The two people were young girls; one with long black hair seemingly about Arche's age, and the other one with long red hair was even smaller. But what caught his attention the most was the demonic horns protruding from the older girl's white fluffy hat. There was no clear sign whether the horns were the hat's decoration, or part of the girl.

Before Hekkeran could say anything, the older girl noticed them. They never intended to be unseen to begin with, so it was natural.

"Who's there!?"

As the girl said it, the younger girl was startled and immediately hid herself behind the other girl. Hekkeran slowly came forward with his hands up, trying to show that he meant no harm.

"I'm sorry that we intruded your home. My name is Hekkeran Termite, and we were just taking shelter from the rain"

The older girl didn't seem to relax from hearing Hekkeran's statement.

"You have weapons... Are you one of those garbage?"

Hekkeran didn't understand what the girl meant, but he could feel hatred radiating from her, especially from her blazing red left eye. A violent conflict was likely to happen, and that was why he had prepared Arche and Imina for providing an element of surprise in case it really happened. However, he had a hunch that the girl's power was much greater than what the entire group could handle.

"Forgive me, but I don't understand what you meant"

The girl was silent for a few seconds.

"...You're not wearing those necklaces"

"What necklace? Please explain in a way we could understand"

"Those garbage... They all wear metal necklaces of different colors"

Roberdyck, seeming to realize something, leaned over to Hekkeran.

"Hekkeran, I think she is talking about adventurer plates"

Roberdyck's remark lit a light within Hekkeran's mind, and he immediately spoke to the girl, still with his hands up.

"We are not one of those people. In fact, we don't like the way they do things"

That was technically not a lie. Though to be more specific, he didn't like the way the guild took cuts from the rewards, so the reason was more about greed. Hekkeran just hoped the wordplay would make him and his partners seem to be on her side, whatever her reason would be.

The black-haired girl was silent, and her eyes still showed suspicion. The other girl was still hiding behind her, sometimes peeking a little with worried face.

"Alright... I will give you the benefit of the doubt. However..."

She glanced at the girl behind her, and back to Hekkeran.

"If you harm her..."

Hekkeran immediately caught her drift.

"I understand. But before that, let me tell you that there are four of us"

Hekkeran gave a hand signal to Imina and Arche, and they came out from their concealment spell. Like the others, they also put their hands up to signify their intent of not harming anyone.

"I told them to hide inside for their safety"

"...Or as ambush party in case we are hostile..."

The black-haired girl said the sentence with a straight face and eyes still showing suspicion. Both Hekkeran and Roberdyck gulped, while Arche and Imina started to look worried.

"Yes, you are correct. I'm sorry for that"

The girl's face seemed to relax a little as Hekkeran apologized.

"Put down your hands... I understand"

All four members of the Foresight team were relieved, though they all still kept themselves vigilant.

"Let's sit down inside and wait the rain out"

Everyone then went into the end of the cave and sat on the ground around the campfire remains. The red-haired girl sat right next to the black-haired girl, and she kept hugging the black-haired girl from the side, seemingly worried and afraid. The black-haired girl caressed her, with her eyes still watching over his group.

Hekkeran was a little uncomfortable with the silence which had been lasting for several minutes, but he was worried that he would trigger some kind of mine if he tried to talk in any topic.

It was at this point Hekkeran started to pay close attention to how strange the outfits of the two girls were. They looked nothing like any clothing he had ever seen worn by anyone. The younger girl's boots had quite an alien design, and the skintight shorts with skintight body suit underneath a red long coat felt like a mismatch.

Putting that aside, he noticed something even weirder. Both of the girls were completely dry despite having had to run through the downpour just moments ago. They didn't seem to be cold either, despite the weather making the cave quite cold. His group being slightly wet didn't help either.

Out of a sudden, Arche had the initiative to speak.

"I'm sorry, but it feels cold here. May we light a fire?"

"...Sure. Go ahead and use those"

"No, It's alright. We will use our own wood"

Indeed the team brought a fire starting kit and dry wood in a rainproof storage since they had been on a long distance trip. Soon, without any trouble, a campfire was lit in the middle of the room and the team felt the comfortable warmth.

"...Sorry that I didn't notice you feeling cold"

"It's alright. By the way, can we introduce ourselves? I'm Imina"

Hekkeran had a mixed feeling about Imina's initiative, but he welcomed the break from silence.

"My name is Hekkeran. This is Roberdyck, and she is Arche"

"You can call me Sheep. And this girl is..."

The younger girl opened her mouth while still looking worried and afraid.

"M-Mer.. I mean... Rose..."

"Are you two related?"

"No... We met by chance"

Hekkeran couldn't help wondering. A wary demonic girl and a timid human girl was not a match any people would say as normal. There must have been a more complicated story behind them being together. He wanted to dig more information, but he also was still worried on the chance of triggering a mine.

"Why do you hate adventurers?"

 _Imina!_

Hekkeran prepared for the worst that might come after Imina's sudden, direct question. However, Sheep's face expression didn't change. She just looked at Rose who was still hugging her from the side.

"Those garbage... They tortured her..."

"What?"

"If you want to know... I will tell you"

The Foresight team nodded slightly, and then Sheep began telling them about Rose's story where she got mistaken for a demon like Sheep, captured, and tortured on the spot. Sheep seemed to get angrier as she told them the story, and she also told them that Rose used to be more talkative, but the trauma from that event had seemed to leave her broken.

"That's messed up"

"Heh, those bastards"

"I've never known that adventurers could fall that low"

"What did you do to save her?"

"...I killed them"

Sheep said that with straight face and tone. The Foresight team couldn't hide their fear. In addition, Hekkeran realized something important. Sheep was definitely the target of the Adamantite Rank job he had heard about recently when the team was passing the city of Rothar. Additional rumors such as her being able to instantly kill an Orichalcum Rank adventurer with one attack were also circulating. There was no mention at all about Rose, though.

None of the two Adamantite Rank teams within the empire was willing to take the job yet, and Hekkeran himself could guess why. None of those teams had an individual combat power befitting their rank. Those two teams had become Adamantite thanks to either great teamwork or special quirks of their members of rare classes. A truly powerful opponent would rip them to shreds within seconds, and none of them would be willing to risk it.

Hekkeran himself also didn't want to risk it. The chance of failing and getting killed was too great to be worth any amount of prize. However, he had a different idea after knowing that Sheep seemed to be protective over Rose.

"So, what's your plan? I mean, you don't plan to live in this cave forever, do you?"

"...No idea"

"How about, we help each other?"

"...What do you mean with that?"

"From your story, I can conclude that you are very strong and you want to keep Rose safe. We can help you with that, and provide a better life than this cave"

Hekkeran looked at the other members, seeing if they agreed with him. They all nodded.

"...What do you want in return?"

"Join our team and work with us"

The other three members couldn't hide their surprise. Roberdyck was the one speaking first.

"Wait, Hekkeran! Are you sure with what you've just said?"

"Yeah! It's not like I disagree, but it's really out of nowhere!"

Arche didn't say anything since it seemed Roberdyck and Imina had covered what she wanted to say already. Sheep herself didn't change her expression, though Rose seemed a little surprised.

"...I'm listening. Explain"

Hekkeran then tried his best to explain the details of the deal he was negotiating. In short, the Foresight team would use illusion magic to conceal Sheep's horns and red eye to look normal, and then they would rent a room for her and Rose in the inn they used as home base. In return, Sheep would be required to work with them in any future jobs they take.

"And that's it. Do you agree with this?"

Sheep seemed to be thinking, and she looked at Rose.

"...Do you want me to do this?"

"I only ask that you don't leave me alone"

Sheep took about two minutes to think, and then she looked at Hekkeran.

"Alright... I will take the offer"

Hekkeran, feeling relieved, reached his right hand to Sheep to offer a handshake.

"Welcome to Foresight, Sheep"

Sheep accepted the handshake offer, and the two shook hands as the other three members gave a light applause. Hekkeran himself had never thought that his team would have scored a very powerful new member like this, and he became excited at the prospect of his team becoming unstoppable.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **As you have seen, this chapter is mostly side stories starring canon supporting characters. As for what will happen next, I only can say 'Wait and see'**

 **As usual, I'd like to express my gratitude to those who have been following this story. For those who put comments, you have no idea how significant those comments have been for me.**

 **See you again soon.**


	34. Chapter 30: The Coming Battle

**Hello, all!**

 **I never imagined to have the follower count of my story reaching a hundred. Thank you so much for your interests in this side hobby of mine.**

 **Here is the next chapter, and see you again in the afterword as usual.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Middle Fire Month (8th Month), 28th Day, 11:27**

"Still, I have to thank that slut. To think a piece of trash could actually turn out to be a goose that lays golden eggs"

With that short speech from Succulent, the door closed with a thud sound.

Sebas glared at them, with his face not showing any emotion. However, in his heart he was angry at how low those humans had fallen. But he was also quite astonished at how fast they had found him out.

"Solution, you can come out now, no?"

Solution oozed out of the shadows in response to Sebas' voice. She had melded into the shadows with abilities from the assassin-type classes she had taken.

"Did you hear all that?"

"Of course. What do you plan to do now, Sebas-sama?"

Sebas could not answer that question immediately. As she saw that, Solution glared coldly at him.

"...What about handing that human over to them?"

"I do not feel that will solve the problem."

"...Is that so?"

"If I expose a weakness, they will seek to capitalize on it until they suck us dry. That's the kind of people they are. I do not think handing Tsuare to them will solve the problem. More to the point, the real problem is how much they learned while investigating us. We entered the Royal Capital as traders, but if they look too closely, they'll see through it — through our disguise"

"Then, what do you intend to do?"

"I don't know yet. One thing that bothers me greatly is that they got here just two days after I picked Tsuare. It seems they possess a swift and reliable information network, and that might spell trouble"

"Sebas-sama. I strongly suggest that we report this to Ainz-sama"

Sebas fell into deep thought. The matter at hand, with all the conditions and restrictions imposed, was admittedly too much for him to handle. The fact that his cover was in jeopardy would eventually affect Nazarick as well, making this matter significant enough to warrant a report to Ainz-sama.

However, what would happen then? What would Ainz-sama do to Tsuare, and to Sebas himself?

Sebas couldn't imagine the possible scenarios of what would happen to her if Ainz-sama found out that he had picked up a human for no good reason. None of the Guardians would ever agree with what he had done.

Because Sebas didn't give any answer, Solution spoke again.

"With all due respect, Sebas-sama. None of this would have happened if you did not pick up that human"

Sebas knew that very well, and he did not feel offended at all by Solution's statement.

All this grave matter was entirely his own fault. He was the one who had to take full responsibility for his own action of rescuing Tsuare. But the same questions kept creeping up his mind.

He wouldn't mind any punishment. He would even consider death a mercy. However, if this mistake made Ainz-sama disappointed so much and deem him a failure, that would become a wound that would never heal for the rest of his existence and beyond.

And so Sebas asked a final question to himself, to make a decision.

Which one is the most important? Himself, Tsuare, or Nazarick?

The answer was obvious, and Sebas came into that answer from the moment he asked himself in his mind.

"Solution. I believe you are entrusted with a Message scroll. Use it to call Ainz-sama"

"Pardon my ignorance, but why didn't you call him yourself, Sebas-sama?"

"The scroll was entrusted to you to be used in case of emergency, which is the situation right now. If Ainz-sama hears from you, he would immediately know that there is an emergency, and his mind will be more prepared to hear the report"

"Understood"

"In the meantime, I will talk to her. I will leave her fate to Ainz-sama, but at least I would like to prepare her mind"

Sebas then left the room, leaving Solution alone. She immediately took out the Message scroll from her body and used it.

"Ainz-sama"

" _Solution? Ah, this isn't the right time but since you're contacting me... Wait a moment"_

A few seconds of silence later, Ainz spoke again.

" _It must be some sort of emergency, isn't it? What is it?"_

"There is a chance that our cover has been compromised"

" _What? How could that happen? Explain to me as brief as you possibly can"_

Solution then told Ainz about what had happened recently and also the fact that it had been mainly caused by the independent and unreported action of Sebas.

" _He did that? Hmm..."_

There was a silence for a few seconds.

" _By the way, does Sebas know that you are now talking to me? What is he doing right now?"_

"Yes, he knows and he told me that he was going to talk to the woman"

" _Alright. Stand by over there. I will be there in a few minutes"_

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

And with that, the Message spell ended. Solution then decided to meld into the shadows once again and listen to what Sebas was telling to the human. His most recent action had erased most of her doubt, but she was still skeptical about his actions over the course of the last two days.

Of course Sebas would notice her presence, but in the off chance that he was secretly betraying Ainz-sama, her presence would prevent him from saying anything that would potentially harm Nazarick any further. Another scenario would be if Sebas decided to betray Nazarick openly, and in that case he would kill her. If that happened, she would still be content with it because his betrayal would be exposed to Nazarick and she would have done her job to alert Ainz-sama.

Solution arrived at the room which was used as Tsuare's bedroom. Both Sebas and Tsuare was sitting on the bed side by side. Solution herself was unseen by Tsuare, but she knew very well that Sebas noticed her arrival. No change happened to his expression.

"What... Is... The... Mat..ter...?"

Tsuare seemed confused by the situation. Sebas had asked her to go to this room for a serious talk, and since it had happened out of nowhere it was natural for her to be confused.

"It is very unfortunate, Tsuare. But I have bad news"

"W-What..?"

"My supreme master, the one even higher than Lady Solution, has been informed about your presence in this mansion"

There was a silence. Tsuare didn't seem to understand the core of the matter so far, so she only seemed confused and worried, still waiting for further explanation from Sebas.

"I have been hiding this information from him, for a reason which was unwise if I reflect on it now"

Sebas let out a sigh.

"I am bound to obey his words. If he commands that you must be returned-"

"No!"

Sebas was surprised by Tsuare's sudden interruption.

"I... d-don't want... to... return...!"

Tsuare said that with her face and gesture the same as if someone had a panic attack. It was clear that the trauma she had experienced was still haunting her.

"Ple...ase..."

Tsuare broke down crying. Sebas, out of his initiative, warmly hugged her from her side. It took two full minutes until she calmed down.

"I can plead with him, but I must warn you. He might command me to kill you instead"

"If... it is by... you... I don't... mind"

Before Sebas could give any further answer, suddenly a dark portal appeared near the opposite side of the room, and immediately the figure Sebas knew very well walked out from it. He wore metal gauntlets and his face was covered with a mask, but Sebas knew that he was his one and only master, Ainz Ooal Gown.

Sebas immediately released his hug from Tsuare and kneeled on the floor.

"I humbly welcome you to this place, Ainz-sama"

Tsuare, seemingly very surprised about what she had just seen, froze. But within a few seconds she also kneeled on the floor mimicking Sebas' pose.

"It seems I came in a bad time, didn't I? Nevertheless... Sebas"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

"So this is the human you picked up without telling me in any of your reports. Do you realize what you have done, and the result of that action?"

Sebas didn't move an inch from his position. Beads of sweat ran down his face, and the same applied to Tsuare, who was also shivering.

"Yes... I deeply apologize for-"

"Enough. At the moment what I want from you is not an apology. I want you to explain truthfully, the reason behind your action"

Ainz then conjured a rather luxurious chair right behind him and sat on it.

"What will happen next depends on your answer. Now speak"

"At that time... she was weak, wounded, and dying"

"Are you telling me it was simply out of pity?"

"That was not it. I have no clear idea why myself. Every time I see someone who is weak and troubled, I feel strange. I feel as if a voice in my mind is speaking to me"

There was a silence for a few seconds.

"Saving someone in trouble is common sense"

Sebas couldn't hide his surprise hearing the sentence Ainz had just spoken.

"The voice sounded like that, was I wrong?"

"N-No, Ainz-sama! You were right"

"I see... You indeed are like him, Sebas"

Ainz stood up from the chair, which disappeared immediately. He then approached Tsuare, who was still unable to look at him directly.

"Raise your head and look at me in the eyes"

Tsuare slowly raised her head as she had been told to do. Ainz closely observed her face, seemingly interested.

" _You look like her..._ "

Ainz said it in low voice, so Tsuare didn't hear him.

"Ah, we haven't had a proper introduction yet. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, and I am the master of Sebas. Now tell me your name"

"T-Tsuare"

"Your full name"

"Tsuareninya... Veyron"

There was another brief silence, and after that Ainz let out a laugh.

"This is a small world after all!"

Both Sebas and Tsuare were confused about what Ainz had just said.

"Tsuare, I need to talk to Sebas about an important topic. I want you to wait here until further notice"

Ainz and Sebas walked out from the room, leaving Tsuare alone. After the door was closed, Solution emerged from the shadows into the corridor and kneeled in front of Ainz.

"Make sure she doesn't leave the room, but don't use violence. I need her alive and well"

"As you wish, Ainz-sama"

Ainz and Sebas then went to a different room within the mansion. In there, Ainz sat down on a long sofa while Sebas was standing in front of him at a distance. The mask and gauntlets disintegrated, revealing his skeletal face and hands.

"I have heard about your situation from Solution. It seems you are in a bind, no?"

Sebas bowed and hung his head in shame.

"I deeply apologize for my error"

"Well, it already happened, so now you have to make amends by fixing the problem. Do you have any plan for that?"

"Please forgive my lack of wisdom. I am unable to think of anything"

"In that case, I will lend you a hand"

Ainz then gave Sebas an explanation about his aid. In short, a stealth scouting party would be sent into the place where Sebas had picked up Tsuare, and they would collect as much information as possible from there. Further actions would depend on the information they would get, but generally the goal was to exact retribution to those people for daring to blackmail Nazarick, while also making sure that no crucial info of Nazarick would leak out unnecessarily.

"Also, regarding that woman, there is something about her which needs a further action from me. For the time being while I collect necessary information, keep her around and ensure her well-being"

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

"Then I shall take my leave"

Right after saying that, Ainz disappeared from the room. Sebas stood still for a while, feeling as if a huge burden had been lifted off from his chest.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Middle Fire Month (8th Month), 28th Day, 13:44**

Succulent and Staffan arrived back at the brothel with a cocky smile of victory decorating their face. Everything they had planned had gone smoothly, allowing them to potentially rake a huge amount of money.

"We got them good, huh?"

"Indeed, Staffan. And you don't plan to stop there, do you?"

Succulent smirked as he said that, and Staffan followed with his own smirk.

"A cow should be milked until it doesn't have any left. Also, I want that woman"

"Heh, with proper payment I can arrange that. Though not today since my men are currently unavailable"

"Then I will just enjoy my time here until then"

Both Staffan and Succulent laughed. It was at this moment someone else came in through the front door. Every staff within the room took a glance to the person and immediately went back to their business because they didn't want their eyes to meet with the person who just came.

Succulent was as calm as before, and he greeted the person.

"Good day, boss. What's up?"

Zero, the one who had just come in, didn't show any reaction to Succulent's greeting. He instead went straight to the point.

"Are you done with the job?"

"Yes, everything went as smoothly as planned"

"Good. Come with me then. Your work here is done for today"

"Alright. Where are we going, boss?"

"I will fill you in while walking"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Middle Fire Month (8th Month), 28th Day, 23:19**

Somewhere within the region of Re-Estize Kingdom in the dead of night, there were three people, each was riding their own horse. The horses were moving at cantering pace side by side, with the one in the middle slightly ahead, making a triangle formation.

The one ahead in the middle had an ornamental box strapped to the saddle right in front of the saddle's seat part. The box itself was not large and not heavy either, so the horse's performance was not impeded by the extra load.

The rider of this particular horse was Malmvist, a member of Six Arms. The two other person were also members of Six Arms, namely Edstrom and Peshurian.

These three were tasked to transport an important item from an appointed location to the residence of Hilma, the head of Eight Fingers Drug Trade Division who had hired them for this task. For now the first part of the task had been done and the item in question was in their possession within that box.

The distance from the appointed pick up location to Hilma's mansion was quite far, and at best they would arrive in three hours, four at worst. The route towards the destination was arranged to avoid civilization, thus they had to go through some paths normally not used unless there were no other options available.

Malmvist had questions in his mind about this job. The assigned time being in the dead of night like this, and also the fact that they had to avoid civilization during the trip, meant that whatever inside the box was a very hot stuff, and its value was probably very high. However, hiring three members of Six Arms to deliver the item felt very odd.

Logically, a valuable item of this size could have been simply smuggled within a larger cargo, and the men of Drug Trade Division should be capable of that. This method of delivery gave off the vibe that Hilma knew something would happen on the way, and thus she had been willing to shell out money to make sure she would receive it.

Another possibility was that this job has been a trap all along.

Hilma was known to be a cunning woman with a lust towards power. She would be happy to lessen the influence of other divisions within Eight Fingers while coming out on top herself. Failing this expensive job would be a big hit to Six Arms' reputation and she would take advantage of that.

Despite his suspicions, Malmvist was determined that his objective was to deliver this item safely and complete the job, so he just needed to be vigilant and prepared for any possible traps ahead.

Two hours later, the group was still traveling at the same pace. They soon would be running through a pathway cutting through a valley.

"Keep your eyes open! If there is a trap, the valley ahead is the most likely place!"

"Alright!"

"Understood!"

The pathway was still wide enough for the group to keep their formation. All three of them kept watching their surroundings as their horses ran through the path, especially above. Nobody wanted a boulder to fall down on their face.

Twenty minutes later, nothing happened. The end of the path soon would be within sight. All three of them began to wonder if their suspicions had been unnecessary.

However, they noticed something ahead.

There was a man standing in the middle of the path. The man's looks was quite alien to them, especially the magenta colored hair.

All three of the group quickly scanned the surroundings once again, in case the man was a distraction from a real trap. They didn't notice anything.

Before they could assess the situation any further, the man slammed the ground with his fist. Multiple shockwaves of blood red energy emerged and went to various directions, including the group's location.

Without any words, all three of them jumped from their horses. Malmvist didn't forget to take the ornamental box with him.

Some of the shockwaves hit the horses, throwing them off and killing them instantly. The three people landed on the ground safely and unharmed, but several other shockwaves hit the wall of the valley on both sides, triggering a rockslide which ended up closing the path off behind the man.

There was no question about it. This mysterious man was strong.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

Malmvist asked the man with straight tone. He could already guess the answer, but he wanted to see if he could buy time by talking.

"I want all of you to fight me!"

The answer was not what he had expected. The man didn't even look at the box Malmvist was holding.

"Fight you? Why should we do that?"

"Because you don't have a choice!"

Right as the man said it, he jumped from his position straight towards Malmvist with a body pose prepared to throw a downward punch. Malmvist jumped backwards to dodge, and the other two jumped away to the sides. The man's fist collided with the ground and the impact was great enough to cause an explosion which left a hole on the ground.

All three Six Arms members landed safely from their jump, and this small exchange made them know that this man really meant business. All three of them looked at each other and nodded, and then they drew their weapons out, except Peshurian who only put his hand near the hilt of his sheathed weapon and assumed a battle stance.

Malmvist was still holding the ornamental box with one hand while the other hand was holding his Rose Thorn rapier. Despite the situation, he still wanted to ensure the safety of the objective.

The mysterious man stood up and looked at Malmvist.

"Put that box away. I want you to fight me at your best!"

Malmvist just smirked.

"Heh, don't underestimate us"

Without any prior warning, Zero dropped down from a height behind the man and launched a downward punch towards him. The man quickly turned back and blocked Zero's punch with his right forearm. Their arms clashed and caused a shockwave to all directions. Both the man and Zero grinned at each other as their eyes met.

Zero launched himself away from the man and landed on the ground. As he landed, two more people appeared next to him. These two were Davernoch and Succulent, the remaining members of Six Arms. Up until now, the three of them had been concealing themselves and their own horses with invisibility magic.

Right now, the Six Arms were complete and they had the mysterious man completely surrounded.

"Didn't think to face all six of us, huh? I was right to think that this job is a trap all along"

The man just chuckled hearing Zero's words. Zero ignored that and asked a question anyway.

"Hilma sent you, didn't she?"

"Hilma, huh? I suppose that is the name of that woman"

"You don't know the name of the one sending you here? Are you playing dumb? Nevertheless, we will bring your head to her and humiliate her"

"I don't care about any person's name. I was promised a good fight, so here I am with six opponents who are so confident in killing me"

The man grinned with confidence as he said that.

"Then you better remember the names of the ones who are going to kill you. I am Battle Demon, Zero"

"Phantom Devil, Succulent"

"Undead King, Davernoch"

"Thousand Kills, Malmvist"

"Dancing Scimitar, Edstrom"

"Spatial Slash, Peshurian"

The Six Arms members brandished their weapons and declared their name one by one, while the man just stood there unflinching. In fact, he seemed to be excited because he began laughing.

"Hahaha... Interesting... Interesting!"

A red aura began to gleam over the man's body.

"I shall take you all on, and you shall remember the name of Dark Falz Elder in the afterlife!"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **So, there you have it. It turns out there is a significant change to Volume 5 events after all, caused by a rather minor change way back in Volume 2. Also, I'd like to tell you that the coming fight isn't going to be a one-sided curbstomp like how Sebas does in canon.**

 **See you again soon.**


	35. Chapter 31: In A Million Chance Reunion

**Hi, all! We meet again.**

 **Let me put a reminder again that my profile has two links leading to galleries of various objects and characters appearing in this story series. Check them out if you can and let me know if you have trouble accessing them.**

 **Without further ado, here is the next chapter. See you again in the afterword**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

[Fireball]

Davernoch opened the fight with a third tier spell aimed at Elder, who just grinned and launched a hook punch with his right arm. The punch hit the fireball and made an explosion, but soon everyone saw Elder being unharmed at all.

"Is that all you got!?"

"Hardly"

Zero calmly and confidently replied to Elder's mocking. At the same time, Edstrom sent her scimitars to Elder from behind. The scimitars danced around and slashed at Elder's back, but he quickly turned around and launched a flurry of jabs, repelling all the scimitars which then returned to Edstrom.

"Come on! Show me what you got!"

[Magic Weapon]

[Harden Steel]

Davernoch used a few buffing spells to all his partners. The first one enhanced the sharpness of their weapons, while the second one empowered their offensive strength.

[Twin Magic: Lightning Javelin]

Two bolts of lightning came out from Davernoch's hand and went straight to Elder, who took the hit at his back. No visible damage occured, but Davernoch expected that. The main purpose of the low tier spell was to gain attention, even for a split second.

Without wasting time, Peshurian unsheathed his weapon and slashed from his position, even though the distance between him and Elder was normally too far for a sword to reach.

Elder, who was distracted for a split second by Davernoch's spell, felt a sensation of pain over his right cheek. Fresh red blood started dripping from the slash wound caused by the attack.

"Now that's interesting!"

Elder just smiled, showing that he was intrigued.

"Playtime's over!"

Elder jumped high from his position and did a backflip, landing in a position which put the Six Arms in front of him instead of being surrounded in the middle. All the members of Six Arms immediately put themselves in a battle formation with Zero and Peshurian at the front, Davernoch at the back, and the rest in the middle.

However, before they could finish repositioning, Elder charged straight at Succulent and launched a straight punch.

 **SMACK!**

Fortunately for Succulent, Zero moved and blocked the punch. Once again Zero's eyes met Elder's and the two grinned at each other for a brief moment. Elder then moved back and readied himself in battle stance similar to a boxer.

"Be careful, guys"

Zero, while still showing confidence, didn't hide the fact that his right arm was shaking a bit.

"Unless you're me, taking that kind of punch is fatal"

While Zero was saying that, Elder mockingly made a hand signal, inviting them to come at him all at once.

"Attack!"

With Zero's command, both himself and Peshurian ran forward. Zero was ahead, getting close to Elder first. He then began launching a series of quick punches which Elder blocked and parried without fail. Elder quickly delivered a single counter punch which Zero successfully blocked, but the force pushed Zero back a little distance. Right at this time, Peshurian slashed his weapon from a distance. The slashes hit Elder's right arm and shoulder, but they only inflicted a little tear on his coat. Elder's eyes shifted to Peshurian at this moment.

"Where are you looking at!?"

From the opposite side, Succulent got the jump on Elder and did a diagonal slash. Elder raised his left arm to block the attack, but somehow the sword went through and he didn't feel anything. Instead, he felt something at his left stomach. A tear happened on his coat at that section. Succulent then did a follow up sideway slash, but once again Elder's blocking went through and instead a tear happened on his shoulder.

Succulent jumped back, and at the same time a flurry of scimitars were launched from behind Succulent. Once again they danced and slashed at Elder, and taking advantage of the distraction, Malmvist quickly lunged with his rapier right at Elder's face. Elder evaded at the last moment, but the length of his forehead was scratched.

"I got you now"

Malmvist grinned and jumped back. In the mean time, the minor scratch on Elder's forehead worsened into a serious cut which let out blood all over his face.

[Maximize Magic: Lightning]

Davernoch, who had been staying at a distance, suddenly launched a third tier spell right at Elder. Elder took the full brunt of the spell, staggering a bit. In addition, blood from his forehead obscured his eyes, effectively blinding him.

Zero didn't want to miss this chance.

"Panther, Falcon, Rhinoceros, Buffalo, Lion!"

Zero channeled his shamanic tattoos, charging power into his right fist. He then launched his trump card move to Elder's Stomach.

[Single Strike Kill]

 **SMASH!**

His strike landed a direct hit. Elder was thrown back quite far and hit the ground hard with his back. The Six Arms members made a triumphant smile looking at their defeated opponent.

"Hilma should have set up a better trap than that"

"Took the words right out of my mouth"

However, before they could celebrate any further, Elder stood up. He stood straight and unflinching, and he even smiled.

"Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHA! INTERESTING!"

Every single Six Arms members couldn't believe what they had just seen. A direct hit from Zero's trump card move should be able to kill even Gazef Stronoff, or at the very least severely injure him. Yet this Elder, while damaged, seemed still able to fight. All six of them immediately went back to battle stance, but they also kept themselves ready to flee if things would get worse.

"I admire you all, being able to force me to use this trump card of mine!"

Right after saying that, Elder floated and covered himself in blood-red energy vortex. Within a second, he transformed into a four meter tall humanoid monstrosity. The Six Arms froze in disbelief seeing what they had just seen.

"Behold! My form of Falz Hunar!"

"Tch! Retreat!"

Zero could make a sure guess that the opponent in front of him was beyond the capabilities of even the combined strength of Six Arms. He had a lot of questions in his mind, but as of right now he was not even sure if he would survive this encounter.

Without any more pause, Hunar jumped from his position with his right fist covered in blood-red energy. He did a diving punch towards the group and hit the ground violently, creating an explosion.

All Six Arms Members had jumped and evaded the diving punch, except one.

Succulent had become the first casualty, taking a direct hit from the diving punch. His head and body had been crushed into an unrecognizable bloody mess.

Hunar jumped again, this time vertically straight up. He stopped at quite a high height, looked at Malmvist, and then with his right foot shining red he did a diving kick straight towards Malmvist. The diving kick was very fast and Malmvist was not able to evade, therefore he met the same fate as Succulent.

Without delay, Hunar covered his right fist with energy and punched the ground he was standing on. A number of 2 meters tall 1 meter wide fountain-like energy waves emerged from the spot and moved towards Edstrom at the speed of a sprinting horse. Edstrom tried evading to the side, but the waves turned themselves and kept homing in on her. She desperately launched her scimitars towards the waves, but all of them just disintegrated upon touching the energy waves. It didn't take long until the waves engulfed Edstrom as she screamed. The waves then dissipated, leaving nothing at all.

[Earth Bind]

Davernoch casted a spell. The rocky ground Hunar was standing on suddenly became soft, causing him to sink a little, and then hardened again. As the result, his ankles were effectively bound to the ground. Hunar was distracted for a second, but he then immediately pulled out the large curvy thing behind his back, which seemed to be actually a giant sword. He threw the sword with a horizontal spinning motion, making it fly spinning like a giant buzzsaw straight to Davernoch. It made a direct hit, and Davernoch was sliced into two right at his stomach.

The sword made a sharp turn back towards Hunar, slicing what remained of Davernoch on the way back, and returned to Hunar's grasp. He then pulled his feet from the ground without effort and looked at the remaining two Six Arms members.

Peshurian slashed his weapon vigorously from a distance, hitting Hunar in various spots but dealing pretty much no damage.

"Hahahaha! Puny weapon!"

Hunar raised his curved sword, and immediately a red energy blade emerged from it. The energy blade was at least ten meters long, and it radiated sinister blood red aura and particles. Without delay, Hunar did a wide sweeping slash with his sword and as the result Peshurian was beheaded and killed instantly.

Zero survived because he had fallen down on his bottom, therefore causing the swipe to miss him. However, right now his mind was fully occupied by one question.

"W-What... are you...?"

Hunar dropped to one knee and crumbled, and then he reverted back into his human Elder form. The wounds from before were still there, but he just slowly walked to Zero with confident face.

"I am merely someone looking for a good fight"

Elder then stopped at a distance just two meters from Zero, who was still sitting on the ground. Zero was silent, unable to say anything.

"Fight me, and die a warrior's death!"

Hearing Elder's challenge, Zero felt confused for a second. However, he then smiled and began laughing.

"Ha... Hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!"

Zero laughed, not knowing himself whether he was happy or had become crazy knowing the fate awaiting him. He then stood up and went into battle stance with a confident grin on his face. Elder, seeing Zero's response, also grinned in excitement.

"HA!"

At the same time, the two beings jumped at each other with a punch readied and aimed at their opponent's face.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Middle Fire Month (8th Month), 29th Day, 02:25**

Hilma was sitting on her bed in her bedroom. Anxiousness was filling her mind to the brim, and she couldn't sleep despite the clock being way over bedtime.

Right now was supposed to be the time the Six Arms delivered the item specified in her request, and anything could happen on the way since she had sent Elder, whom she had a deal with, to intercept them. At any moment, everything might turn south for her despite her plan seeming flawless on paper.

However, before she could think any further, a dark red portal appeared and Elder came out from it. He brought a body of another person whom Hilma could recognize as Zero, though the head was already beaten out of shape and bent towards the wrong way.

"There's nothing left of the other five to bring, but there. Your proof"

Elder threw the body at Hilma's feet. There was no need for Hilma to take a closer look. This body was Zero and he was already dead.

"Yes, I have seen it. You have done well"

Hilma looked at Elder. He seemed to be quite beat up, bruised, and bloodied, but he still stood straight and unflinching. It seemed the Six Arms had put up quite a fight.

"Are you all right?"

"This is nothing. The energy I got from them all was well worth it"

Hilma was curious about Elder's last statement, and she had quite a bad feeling about it. She then asked anyway to confirm her hunch.

"I-If I may know... What happens after you got their energy?"

"I got stronger. Simple as that"

"So... right now you are..."

"Correct. I am now much stronger than before"

Hilma's worst fear was true. Elder was a being which would get stronger as he killed another, and judging from his behaviour he would never be satisfied no matter how many opponents Hilma threw at him. Eventually, he would decide that she had outlived her usefulness and that would be bad news for her. She had to cut ties with him as soon as possible while she was still ahead.

"I still sense a high energy somewhere nearby. Can you bring that to me?"

There was no proof, but Hilma could guess that Elder sensed either Gazef Stronoff or one of the Adamantite Rank adventurers within the Re-Estize capital.

"Unfortunately, these people you just killed were the only ones I could make arrangement on"

"Tch, fine then"

Elder seemed indifferent, but he didn't seem to be too disappointed or mad to do anything bad to Hilma, which was quite a relief for her.

"What are you going to do from now on?"

"I will stick around here. Somehow I have a feeling that something interesting will happen soon"

Hilma couldn't help sighing inside her mind. Having this dangerous man around for too long would be bad for her business and herself. She was starting to regret the decision she had made out of impulse back then.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Middle Fire Month (8th Month), 28th Day, 14:18**

Ryu, Lily, and Alice had arrived at the Adventurer's Guild of E-Rantel. Being able to use Fly was really convenient because the trip from Carne Village which would had taken a whole day, had been done in less than an hour. Of course, they still needed to have the courtesy of entering the city through the gate like everyone else, and they still walked normally once they were in the city.

The atmosphere inside the guild was as normal as it should be, with other adventurers doing their own business in various parts of the main hall. Ryu approached the job board to check something in his mind, and indeed like Ainzach had said back then, there was an announcement paper telling that Katze Plains had been marked as a highly dangerous area and expeditions there were highly not recommended.

The announcement didn't mention anything specific about the cause of danger. It only mentioned about new monsters which had wiped out a Gold Rank team. But since Alice had made quite a commotion, Ryu believed it wouldn't take long until someone connected the dots.

"It's been a while, Ryu"

Ryu was suddenly greeted from behind by someone whom he could recognize the voice. He quickly turned around to reply.

"Ah yes, it's been a while indeed, Momon-dono"

Ryu noticed that Momon was alone, but he decided to not question him about it.

"I will get straight to the point. The Swords of Darkness team, do you know their whereabouts?"

"The last time I met them, they intended to move to Re-Estize capital. They should be working there now"

"Oh... I see"

"What's the matter, if I may know?"

Momon folded his arms and lowered his head, seeming to be thinking. He then soon raised his head and spoke.

"I just got words about Ninya's sister. Tsuareninya Veyron, isn't it? She is still alive"

As Momon said that, Ryu could notice Lily getting excited. She was definitely happy for them. Alice's face remained unchanged since she didn't know about the matter after all.

"Oh, that's great news! But is she well?"

"The information I got isn't that specific, unfortunately"

"I see, so where is her location?"

"Re-Estize capital. Somewhat convenient, no?"

"So they were right thinking that her sister is in Re-Estize"

"Though now the problem is how to deliver this news to them"

"Maybe you can use the guild's information network. Or..."

Ryu was thinking for a bit, and then he looked at Lily and Alice. Both of them nodded, seemingly caught Ryu's intention.

"...You can request us to deliver the message. My whole team can use Fly now so we should be able to get there today"

"Thank you for the offer, but there is no need to go that far. To be realistic, the only information I got was the fact that she was still alive in the capital. That piece of info won't make much difference if the Sword of Darkness are already resolved on the matter"

"You have a point there"

At this point, Ryu realized that Momon's main goal in this conversation was probably only the location of Swords of Darkness team, and he had unnecessarily prolonged the conversation and almost disrupted whatever plan Momon, as Ainz, had for the matter. He felt that he needed to end this before any more mistakes could happen.

"I will take my leave then"

"Be careful out there, Momon-dono"

Momon then left the guild building. Other adventurers who had been staring at his figure then went back to their own business.

"So, Ryu-san, what are we going to do now?"

Ryu sat down on a nearby vacant seat and pondered for a while. Alice and Lily sat next to him without saying anything.

"Liz, Lily. There's something I want to say. Now that we are facing a threat from my origin's monsters, namely Darkers, I am going to give you some power you probably will need"

"W-What?"

"You mean, like your strange spells? Is it that easy to give?"

"I'm not really sure about it, but first we will need to go shopping"

The three of them then left the guild building and walked towards a place which Ryu would prefer not to visit again thanks to a recent misunderstanding, but Ryu couldn't think of any other place which sold the things he needed, so he pretty much had no choice.

Later, they arrived and entered the building of their destination. It didn't take long until they were greeted by a familiar figure.

"Welcome to Magician's Guild. How may I help you?"

"Hello there, Berthold. I want to buy quite an amount of magic scrolls, so if you would assist me"

"Certainly. What spells are you looking for?"

"Anything that can be aimed at a target"

"In that case, we have~~~~"

The shopping lasted for almost twenty minutes, and in the end Ryu bought more than ten scrolls of various spells, costing him a single platinum coin and three gold coins in total. All the scrolls then were lumped into Alice's travel bag.

"What are we going to do with these scrolls?"

Alice asked that as the group left the building.

"I will tell you later once we get to a good place not within any people's sight"

The group then went to the city gate, and once they stepped outside they used Fly towards a nearby empty grass plain near the edge of a forest. The location was way off from the road, so no other people would be here unless they had a specific reason.

"Alright, now that we're here..."

Ryu then reached his hand into the inner part of his coat, and pulled out a yellow photon disc. Lily and Alice looked a little confused since they had no idea what the item was.

"This item is how people of my origin learn new spells and combat moves. It seems the people of this place is unable to use this item in the normal way, but thanks to Ainz we have found a way"

Ryu then gave the photon disc to Alice.

"Try casting a spell on the disc. I believe any spell will do"

Alice looked at the disc on her right hand and reached her left hand towards the disc.

[Heavy Weight]

Instead of becoming heavy like intended by the spell, the disc disappeared and a pale blue glow came out from Alice's body briefly.

"What just happened? Did I learn whatever you wanted me to learn?"

"Indeed. Now try casting it, towards the forest just in case"

Alice then tried concentrating on the spell she had just learned, and immediately she pointed her staff weapon towards the forest.

"Ilzan!"

A burst of air came out from the tip of her weapon and launched away. The air burst was massive, both Ryu and Lily could feel themselves blown by the wind towards the center of the air burst, which kept advancing at high speed towards the forest. The air burst dissipated about 50 meters away from Alice, leaving a straight line of excavated land and a number of fallen trees along the way.

"Woah, nice shot, Liz-san!"

"What in the world is this? How is this much power possible?"

Alice was naturally baffled because what she had done was quite a lot more than what she could normally do with her spells.

"So, Liz. How is your mana after casting that once?"

"Wait... It's... so little, as if I only casted a tier two spell"

"Hmm..."

"Is there something wrong?"

"When Ainz learned and tried out one of the spells I gave, he said that the spells cost about the same as tier five spells. I was worried that a single cast would drain your mana greatly, but it seems not to be the case"

"Are you telling me that your people's spells have adaptive mana cost?"

"I have no idea. For me, and the rest of my people, the cost of casting one spell is always the same no matter what weapon I use, or even if I cast it from bare hands. It seems such adaptive mana cost only applies to the people here"

"If you ask me, it feels like you came from a completely different world"

That was actually true, but Ryu decided to put the topic aside immediately.

"In any case, it worked for you and that's great. I will give you some more"

Ryu then gave Alice several more photon disc and she used them all. However, Ryu told Alice to refrain from testing the spells since the chance of damaging the environment would be quite high.

"Now, for Lily..."

Ryu reached into the inner part of his coat again and pulled out three red discs. He seemed to be hesitating as he pulled them out. That was because there were no photon arts covering the weapon type wielded by Lily, but there was one weapon type which could come close.

"How do I use them if I can't use magic, Ryu-san?"

"Liz, the scrolls"

"Alright"

Liz took out several of the recently bought scrolls and gave them to Lily. Ryu actually was redoing the method used by Ainz to let his non magic caster subordinate use the photon disc. Since it had worked for them he figured that it might work for Lily.

"Hold this and use one of the scrolls at it"

Lily complied, taking one of the discs from Ryu's hand. She then held one magic scroll with the other hand and used it.

[Scroll: Reinforce Armor]

Like what had happened with Alice, the disc disappeared and Lily's body let out a pale blue glow for a brief moment. Ryu then had her repeat the method for the remaining two discs.

"Now try and see if you can use the moves"

"Alright, Ryu-san"

Several minutes later, all three of them stood still and stunned at the sight of Lily's testing result. Several large holes had been created at the ground, and a good number of trees had been cut down with clean slices through the trunks. All were the result of testing each of the three moves once.

"Lily, how's your mana?"

"I'm not sure, Ryu-san. But I feel that I still can do those many more times"

Ryu stood still in a deep thought. He was not sure if giving Photon Arts and Photon Techs to his partners was the right thing to do, and what would the consequences be in the future, now that he had done it.

"Liz, Lily. Please promise me one thing"

Both Liz and Lily paid full attention to Ryu, who was silent for a few seconds.

"Only use those moves and spells if you are fighting against Darkers"

"Alright, Ryu-san! I Promise!"

"You don't need to tell me that"

"Alright, let's go home and rest for today"

The three of them then flew back to E-Rantel, having become more prepared for future encounters with Darkers. Ryu still had his doubts about his recent decisions, but in the end he believed that he had made the best decision possible for the situation.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 1st Day, 11:48**

A few days had passed since the day Ainz had visited Sebas in the mansion. A few things had happened in the meantime, although none of them were significant enough to warrant another emergency report.

Despite what the blackmailers had said back then, they had never come again to collect their money. The spy units assigned to keep watch over the brothel had reported that the place had been thrown into disarray for some reason, and from overhearing the talks there a conclusion could be made that the security division of Eight Fingers had disbanded and now the rest of the divisions were internally bickering over which one should take over. Thus the blackmailing matter was probably put on hold.

Sebas had reported that matter to Ainz, and his response was an order to continue the masquerade and observe how the situation would play out until further notice. There was also another order from Ainz regarding Tsuare.

" _Take her for a walk around town from time to time, and report to me as soon as possible if something happens"_

Sebas didn't understand the goal of that order, but he didn't want to question a direct order from a supreme being, whose mind was beyond any kind of comprehension. Lord Ainz definitely had a flawless plan in mind, and so Sebas would see to it that the plan would go undisrupted.

Unfortunately, the beginning had not been that smooth. Tsuare's trauma had held her firmly like psychological chains, preventing her from stepping outside. Sebas had reported this matter to Ainz, and the response had been straightforward.

" _Try your best to persuade her. However, do it slowly. Her well being is still an important matter. I will trust your judgement on this matter"_

It was finally at this day Sebas managed to convince Tsuare to muster her courage and go out shopping with him. It had taken several days because Sebas genuinely took her well being into consideration, and therefore he had waited until she had shown better recovery from her traumatic experience before attempting to convince her.

Right now, Sebas and Tsuare were walking towards the market district to buy some groceries. The sky above was covered in cloud, making the city pretty dark despite the time being still noon. It wouldn't be wrong to assume that it would rain soon.

Tsuare herself was clinging to Sebas' arm during the whole walk, and whenever they passed another person she would cling even tighter with her eyes nearly shut. It was clear that she still had not recovered completely from her trauma.

"Tsuare"

"Y-Yes, Sebas-sama?"

"Do not be afraid. I am here to protect you from any danger, like I said before. Walk with your head held high"

Sebas knew that his words was not much different than a forceful coercion, but Lord Ainz had never told him whether she would be left alone or brought along once the masquerade was called off. Sebas believed that the former would be more likely, so he felt the need to prepare her as soon as he could before the withdrawal order came.

"A-Alright..."

Tsuare tried hard to walk normally, but she still couldn't do it well. Everytime another person passed by, she staggered and clinged to Sebas again.

"I'm... S-Sorry..."

Sebas just smiled, providing some comfort.

"It's all right. I don't expect you to do well immediately. Do it at your own pace"

Tsuare blushed seeing Sebas' gentle face and hearing his caring voice. The two of them continued walking towards the marketplace, and Sebas knew that he still would be the one doing all the talking at this rate.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 1st Day, 13:52**

The sky over the Re-Estize capital, which had been already quite dark since morning thanks to the clouds, had been getting even darker over the last hour. Anyone would naturally think that rain would fall down any minute, and it would be quite a downpour.

The Swords of Darkness team, who had never taken a job during the last week, were walking along the road. They had been keeping themselves vigilant thanks to their recent encounter with the suspicious scared man, which had potentially put them on the surveillance of Eight Fingers.

They had been just aimlessly walking around town during this week, keeping themselves cautious and trying to get any confirmation whether someone of the underground organization was tailing them or not. So far, they found nothing.

"Either we have been too paranoid, or they sent stealth experts against us"

Peter came into thinking after hearing Lukrut's remark. Both possibilities were plausible, but the latter seemed much less likely. He then decided to share his thought as they walked.

"I think they aren't on our tail after all. Think about it, even in the case the guards back then were Eight Fingers accomplices, all they saw from us was merely a bunch of adventurers stumbled upon by the thief. I don't think they would waste resources tailing us using experts for this long"

"But isn't it possible that they were waiting until we think that way, thus lowering our guard?"

Lukrut let out a sigh hearing Dyne's remark.

"That is possible, but do we really want to keep going like this forever?"

"Of course not. But we still have an objective in this city. It would be a pity if we get 'disposed of' before we can finish it"

Peter immediately decided to end the debate between Lukrut and Dyne.

"Alright, you two. Here's an idea. We go back to taking jobs, but still keeping an eye to our surroundings like this. If they don't make any moves within another week, we will assume they never tailed us to begin with"

"Sure, why not. I'm starting to get bored anyway"

"Indeed. That is better than nothing"

"Ninya, you've been silent. Is something wrong"

"Ah, nothing... I'm just..."

Before Ninya could speak any further, she felt something strange when two people passed by their group. One of them was a tall man dressed in black immaculate butler uniform, and the other was a woman in tidy maid uniform. Ninya couldn't believe it, but she had a hunch that the maid following the tall man was none other than...

"Sis!"

Ninya turned around, shouting at the two people who had just passed by. Both of them stopped and looked at her, and now she could get a clear look at the maid's face.

"Sis... Tsu-neesan...!"

Ninya's eyes leaked tears as she shouted once again. The man's face remained unchanged, but the maid seemed very surprised and in disbelief. She put both her hands over her mouth, tears also starting to leak from her eyes, along with the drops of drizzle that started to fall over the city.

"Vi..Vi-chan...?"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Alright, let me clarify a few things:**

 ***. In LN canon, Sebas picks Tsuare from the brothel at 26 August. That still remains unchanged in this story.**

 ***. In LN canon, Sebas is blackmailed at 3 September. In this story it happens at 28 August, much faster thanks to Swords of Darkness unwittingly exposing the thug. As the result, Sebas overvalued the capabilities of Eight Fingers and decided to come clean to Ainz instead of taking things by himself.**

 ***. In LN canon, 1 September is the date Gazef finds Brain on a rainy day. The same day as the latest event of this chapter.**

 ***. Blue Rose raids the drug field at 2 September near midnight towards 3 September, so it still has not happened yet by this chapter.**

 **Volume 5 is interesting in a way that events there are not arranged in chronological order, so paying attention to the dates presented at the beginning of each section is important to keep track of the timeline, and I can't help wanting to do the same format for my chapters on this occasion.**

 ***. Unless I miss it, Ninya's real name is never confirmed, so I made a name up for her real name: Viviana Veyron. Let me know if there is actually a canon confirmation of her real name, and I will change accordingly.**

* * *

 **Pre-Emptive Q And A:**

* * *

 **Q:** How strong is Elder? He looks weak compared to Nazarick residents

 **A:** Before the battle with Six Arms, he was about level 30 in Overlord power scale. After the battle, he grew to about level 45 and still can grow further.

* * *

 **Q:** What about his Hunar form?

 **A:** Hunar form is about 15-20 levels of Overlord power scale added to his strength. As Elder regains his strength, he became able to maintain Hunar form for much longer, to the point of being able to keep it active permanently if he wants.

* * *

 **See you later**


	36. Chapter 32: Outstanding Resolve

**Hello again.**

 **I just realized that this story is nearing its first anniversary. Time sure flies, huh?**

 **Nevertheless, here's the next chapter. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 1st Day, 14:18**

The drizzle which had been falling over Re-Estize capital had just turned into a quite heavy rain. The noise of water drops blanketed the city, and most people either ran for cover or covered themselves with cloth sheet they had with them.

The Swords of Darkness team did not have to worry about the rain, because right now they were all seated within the guest room of a luxurious mansion. They had never been in such high class residence, so they had no idea how to behave. Therefore, they only sat tight and kept themselves silent for now, especially that they had not had any chance to properly introduce themselves thanks to the sudden rain prompting the old gentleman to quickly lead them to this extravagant house.

Tsuare was also seated there, across the group. She was also silent, being confused about what to say. The emotion of seeing her sister again was overwhelming, and she wanted to say a lot of things. But no words could come out from her mouth.

"Make yourselves at home while I get your drinks"

"Ah... Let me..."

Tsuare, out of reflex, offered to get the drinks in Sebas' stead. However, Sebas stopped her with a hand signal.

"Our guests want to talk to you, so I will be the one getting the drinks"

"Oh... Alright..."

Sebas then left the room into the hallway of the mansion. After he closed the door, Solution stood in front of him with the usual straight face and still donning the house lady outfit.

"What is the reason this time, for bringing more humans into this place?"

Solution once again asked a question with a cold tone, the same as the time Sebas had brought Tsuare into the mansion. Sebas answered the question with a straight, stern face.

"Ainz-sama ordered me to take Tsuare on a walk and report to him if something happens. Those people, they are part of that something, and therefore I believe they are of some importance to Ainz-sama"

"I see"

Solution closed her eyes and bowed, silently apologizing for her doubt.

"I will report this to Ainz-sama while I get their drinks. Just in case, listen to their conversation in the meantime and tell me later if they say anything of significance"

"Understood, Sebas-sama"

Solution then melded into the shadows and disappeared from sight. Sebas continued walking as he raised his hand towards his ear.

[Message]

"Ainz-sama"

"Oh, Sebas. What is it?"

"As you have commanded, something has happened when I took Tsuare for a walk"

"This fast? Anyway, tell me about it"

Sebas then briefly explained the events which had unfolded, from the moment someone suddenly shouting at Tsuare to Sebas initiatively inviting the person's group to the mansion because of the rainfall.

"Sebas"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

"Well done"

Sebas couldn't help being surprised by the praise.

"I-I'm unworthy of such praise, after my foolish mistake"

"What you did back then and today are different things, Sebas. Nevertheless, here's what you should do next. Treat them as respected guests, and if any of them asks a question answer truthfully while keeping your masquerade up. Also~"

Ainz then gave Sebas a few more explanations about what he should do. At the end of it, Sebas nodded.

"Understood"

"Once they go home, report to me again. I expect great result from you, Sebas"

"I shall strive to meet your expectations, Ainz-sama"

"Good"

The Message spell was then ended, and Sebas stood still with a tray of teacups and a teapot ready for serving right in front of him. He had been preparing them while conversing with Ainz, and now he began bringing the tray to the guest room.

As he was getting close to the door of the guest room, Solution emerged from the shadows.

"None of them had said anything significant so far"

"I see. I will take it from here then"

"Understood"

Sebas then entered the guest room and served the cups of tea to each person, including Tsuare. None of them said anything, and they looked anxious. After finishing the servings, Sebas sat down next to Tsuare and began speaking.

"We were about to have an introduction back then, but the rain intruded. So let us have a proper introduction this time. My name is Sebas Tian. I am the head butler of this house"

"Please pardon us for the sudden intrusion. We are Swords of Darkness adventurer team. My name is Peter Mauk, the leader of the team"

"I am Lukrut Volve, the ranger of the team"

"I am Dyne Woodwonder, a druid"

The three people who had just introduced themselves had done it while trying hard to sound calm, but Sebas could easily sense the anxiety within their mind, especially the last one who had been silent all this time besides the shouting back then.

"I... I am Ni-"

Her speech was cut short, and then she took a deep breath.

"My name is... Viviana Veyron"

Tsuare couldn't help sobbing and leaking tears as she heard the name. Sebas looked at her and asked a question.

"Tsuare. Is she your family?"

"Y-Yes... She is... My sister.."

Sebas smiled warmly as Tsuare said that.

"You don't need to hold yourself, Tsuare. I know what you want to do, now that your family is right in front of you. Go ahead"

With Sebas' words, Tsuare began sobbing more, but she still didn't leave her seat. Seeing this, Sebas stood up, gently took Tsuare's hand, and encouraged her to stand up. It took a few more seconds until Sebas managed to have Tsuare stand up. Then, with a little, gentle push, Sebas encouraged her to approach her sister. Also, with a signalling gesture, he did the same to Viviana.

Viviana, with a blank expression of disbelief, slowly stood up from her seat and approached Tsuare. As she got closer, tears once again began leaking from her eyes. Within seconds, Viviana hugged Tsuare and both of them cried, letting all the emotions to break out. They cried tears of happiness, having met a long lost family member.

"Tsu-neesan! I thought... I thought I would never see you again!"

"Me too, Vivi-chan!"

"I'm sorry that it took me so long to find you!"

"It's all right, Vivi-chan"

The three guys couldn't hide their smile and a leak of tears coming down from their eyes. They were happy for their partner's reunion with her sister. Sebas himself felt pretty much nothing since he believed this was all part of Ainz's plan, and his duty was to observe how the events would unfold after this.

Several minutes later, everyone were already back on their seats. Though this time the adventurers and Tsuare looked brighter than before. Their anxiety were mostly gone, and now they were delighted.

Sebas, still with straight yet gentle face expression, began speaking.

"Now, I believe all of us have questions in our mind. Since it is still raining outside, let us begin answering those questions for now. Feel free to ask"

"Sebas-dono, may I know... how did my sister end up here?"

Tsuare twitched a little hearing Viviana's question. It seemed the question had stirred her traumatic memories. Sebas looked at Tsuare, as if he was asking if it was alright to tell them. Tsuare nodded and closed her eyes in acceptance.

Sebas then began telling the full story of how he had happened to find Tsuare, who had been in a miserable condition back then, and how he had brought her to this mansion. He also spoke about the scroll which had been spent to heal her, and her working as a maid coming from her own free will. However, he didn't mention anything about the blackmail addressed to him.

Understandably, the adventurers looked more and more upset as the story was told, and Viviana was the one reacting the hardest, suddenly standing up from her seat. Her face was filled to the brim with rage.

"Un-Unforgivable! Where is that place!? I'm gonna..."

"Ninya!"

Lukrut reflexively called Viviana out, and that made Tsuare confused.

"Huh? Ninya?"

Peter then offered to explain.

"Ah, allow me to explain. Your sister, she has been using an alias in her name's stead to keep reminding her of her mission, which is to find you. That's why the alias is part of your name"

"Ah... I see"

Sebas then began speaking again.

"Viviana, while I understand the emotion filling your heart now, keep in mind that the place is affiliated with Eight Fingers. Going there will only make things worse"

"Sebas-dono is right, Ni-... I mean.. Viviana. Your sister is now safe and sound, and that is the most important matter"

Lukrut's speech got cut short for a moment back there. It seemed he was still confused whether to call Viviana with her real name or her alias. Viviana calmed down slightly and sat down again, taking a deep breath. Peter then asked a question.

"Sebas-dono. Now that Tsuare has found her family, what is going to happen? I mean, is she going to live with Viviana from now on?"

There was a silence for a few seconds, and somehow the atmosphere of the room became a little tense compared to just a few seconds before. Sebas then began speaking as everyone else started to feel anxious again.

"Now, I'm afraid that not everything is good news..."

Some gulped hearing what Sebas had just said. A feeling of worry began creeping up their hearts.

"My actions were not with permission from my lord, and the scroll spent on her was my lord's property"

Viviana, knowing where this would be going, suddenly cut off Sebas' speech.

"I will pay for it! I'm willing to give all I have!"

Sebas, without changing his straight face expression, replied to Viviana's plea.

"The problem is not that simple. The spell within the scroll was a sixth tier spell, and while I'm not fond of judging, I believe it is unlikely that you have enough money to pay for the scroll's worth"

Viviana's face turned pale hearing Sebas' reply, and the same applied to the other adventurers. Sebas had learned a lot of things about the standard of magic within the kingdom, so he already could predict that such scroll would worth an obscene amount of money, far beyond the adventurers' reach.

"As of right now, my lord has not decided yet about my punishment for using his property without permission, and how its worth should be paid back by me, or by Tsuare"

Viviana dropped down on her knees and went into prostrate position towards Sebas.

"Please let me meet your lord! I'm willing to do anything to pay for saving my sister's life! I will offer a lifetime of servitude!"

Sebas, still not changing his expression, replied.

"Are you aware of the weight of your words? A lifetime of servitude is not something you can offer on a whim. Are you fully aware that you are giving up your freedom for the rest of your life with that offer?"

Viviana then replied without changing her position.

"My sister is the only family I have left. You have saved her life and brought her back to health, and I am very grateful for that. I am willing to pay any price for what you have done for her, and for me. So please, let me plead to your lord!"

There was a silence for a few seconds.

"My lord is unfortunately not here today. I will relay your words to him once he comes back, and you should come here again in two days. In the meantime, you may want to calm down and reconsider about your offer. One's freedom is not something to be taken lightly"

Viviana got up from prostrate position into kneeling position. Her face showed worry, confusion, and sadness. She was silent after hearing Sebas' words. Sebas, noticing that, gave out a warm, gentle smile.

"Do not worry. I am commanded by my lord to ensure Tsuare's well-being. Your sister will be fine when you come back here again"

Viviana's face showed a sign of relief hearing those words.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 1st Day, 17:47**

The office room of Ainz within the Tomb of Nazarick was quiet. Ainz himself was alone, sitting on his luxurious seat. In front of him was an empty desk devoid of report papers which usually filled the surface of the desk like a mountain. He had nothing to do at the moment, which felt somewhat relaxing but also lonely.

 **BEEP! BEEP!**

The minor lonely feeling ended abruptly with the sound of Message notification. Ainz raised his hand to his ear and waited for the caller to speak.

"Ainz-sama"

"Oh, Sebas. How did it go?"

Sebas then began telling about the events which had just happened in the mansion. Ainz listened intently, nodding every once in a while.

"They have gone home for now, and they will be back in two days in the morning"

"Good. Continue your task while you wait for them to come back. You will be informed by then"

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

The Message spell ended, and Ainz leaned to his seat giving out a sigh.

 _I have never expected them to show up this soon._

While indeed Ainz had ordered Sebas to take Tsuare out hoping that eventually the Swords of Darkness team would find her, he had been expecting it to be a long term plan which would take weeks or even months until it happened.

 _I can't just bring Momon from E-Rantel to Re-Estize this quickly. Then again, their use on that regard is already gone._

Ainz was fully aware that the Swords of Darkness was no longer useful for raising Momon's fame since Momon was already well known throughout the kingdom by now. The reason for going this far for them this time was something else.

He was interested in Ninya, or perhaps Viviana from now on. The one Talent she had, which had the effect of halving the time needed for learning a new spell, piqued his interest. She would be an interesting subject for research on how the locals of this world learn new spells, and what kind of limitations apply for them. Learning more about how this world works would be beneficial in the long run, and her Talent would save a lot of time.

Another, yet minor, reason was that Ainz considered them as one of his first friends in this new unknown world, and that bond, while weak, still remained. He wouldn't mind helping them out a little to achieve happiness if it was not too much of a bother for him.

 _Friends..._

Ainz let out a heavy sigh, reminiscing his time when the guild was still on its prime and his old friends were still around. However, the muse didn't last long since something suddenly came up in his mind.

 _Wait, what is Ryu to me? He was the very first stranger I met in this world, and I still converse with him quite regularly. Does he qualify as a friend? Come to think of it, he's not from this planet, so that makes him an alien in a sense. Heh, friends with an alien..._

Ainz let out a small laugh, but then something else came up.

 _Hold on, I am not from this world too. Doesn't that make me an alien as well? Ah, not really I guess. The way this world works is very similar to YGGDRASIL, so I'm not that 'alien' to this world. Ryu on the other hand, he's literally an alien from space. A very human alien._

Ainz once again laughed a little. He became a bit intrigued by the concept of being friends with an alien, and he wanted to try exploring it on a deeper level.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 3rd Day, 10:40**

"The fuck you're doin', boy!?"

A group of drunk hooligans looked angrily at the rather young man who had just interfered with them. Near their feet there was a boy who had been reduced into a bruised and beaten up mess. He was still alive and breathing, but anyone would think that he was knocking at death's door.

"While I'm now off-duty, I am still a soldier of this nation, and I find your actions of violence unlawful and punishable"

This young man was Climb. He was about to return to the palace after delivering a message when he came across this commotion.

"Soldier? Heh! That's just a bluff! Get him, boys!"

The hooligans who had been surrounding Climb charged at him, intending to pile up on him and beat him into submission. However, Climb was already prepared for this.

[Evasion]

Climb swiftly moved through an opening, putting himself into a safe position. While doing that, he did a light kick to one thug's leg, causing that thug to trip and fall. Climb then unsheathed his sword and assumed a battle stance.

Seeing what had just happened, and also the view of a real sharp weapon brandished in front of their eyes, the hooligans seemed to sober up a little.

"Tch, you will regret this, boy!"

All the hooligans then fled the scene. Climb knew that he couldn't arrest them all, so he just let them get away. He then quickly went to the poor beaten up boy and administered his healing potion on the boy.

After assigning a guard to take the poor boy to the temple, Climb walked away from the scene intending to return to the palace. However, a few minutes later someone called him out from the back.

"Hey, can I bother you for a second?"

Climb turned around to the guy and got a good look at him. The guy was quite tall with a good build, and he had a sword just like Climb, though the sword seemed to be of a different model, judging from the sheath being curved. For a second, Climb was worried that the hooligans had hired a strong thug to get revenge, but he concluded that the timing was too fast to be the case, and this man would have struck from behind without calling.

"Do you need help with something, sir?"

"I saw what you did back there. You seem to be more skilled than any guards around here"

"Thank you, sir. But I still have a long way to go"

"Indeed you do. I can beat you to a pulp in a second"

The man's face remained unchanged as he said that. Climb put himself on alert the moment he heard it.

"Relax, I'm not going to do anything to you. Not right here at least"

"So, what do you want with me, sir?"

"Unglaus"

"What?"

"Brain Unglaus. That is my name"

"Oh, I'm Climb... Wait a second. Are you THE Brain Unglaus who fought toe to toe with Gazef Stronoff?"

"Oh, I didn't really expect myself to be that well known"

"I only heard about the battle. He told me that you definitely were among the best of the kingdom's swordsmen"

"Heh, I don't think I'm worthy of that at all, but the praise made me a little happy regardless"

Brain smiled a little, although his face expression seemed to be empty, as if he was dead inside.

"Do you want to spar with me?"

"Eh?"

Climb couldn't believe what he had just heard. It was just this morning that Gazef Stronoff, whom he highly admired, had sparred with him. Now someone else of the same caliber offered him the same thing.

"I-I would love to accept the offer, but not right here"

"Yeah, of course not in public streets like this"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 3rd Day, 13:39**

"HA!"

 **SMACK!**

 **THUD!**

Climb were thrown back a few meters and he hit the ground rolling. He was bruised quite badly all over his body, the area around both his eyes was black and blue from Brain's attacks. The two of them had been fighting on an empty patch of land within the city. The land's shape was a rather perfect square of 15x15 meters and it was located away from the main road, so almost nobody passed by.

"It's useless. Give it up"

Brain exclaimed that, still with his straight yet empty face expression. Climb was still lying face down on the ground.

 _What am I doing? Beating up a kid. This is so... not me._

Brain was confused inside his mind. He couldn't understand his own actions of beating Climb up this badly. There was no benefit at all from doing this, but he still did it anyway.

 _Why am I doing this? Could it be that...?_

He had seen the futility of his efforts to get stronger. That monster, Shalltear Bloodfallen. No amount of training would ever give him any hope to make a single scratch on that thing. Right now, he wondered if he was trying to put himself in that monster's position, while putting Climb into his position.

 _Am I trying to make this kid suffer like I do? Am I really that petty?_

While Brain was pondering on his own questionable action, he suddenly heard a voice.

"Not... yet..."

Brain was surprised. Climb slowly stood up on two legs again, with his sword readied in battle stance. There was no mistake that Climb was very badly beaten up and his condition was not much better than the poor boy back then. But his eyes, though black and blue, radiated an aura of determination.

"W-Why!? Why are you still standing!? It is useless! You have no hope of beating me!"

"I know..."

"Then why are you still fighting!?"

Brain was very confused. If he was in Climb's position, he would have succumbed, just like what had happened to himself on the face of that monster. He had run away like a pathetic coward, and that cowardice had somehow kept him alive.

 _Is this kid an idiot, or... am I the weak one? Is is my lack of resolve all along?_

"Because..."

Climb said one word and then he paused for a few seconds.

"...I'm a man"

A flame of rage built up inside Brain's mind. Climb's answer was an indirect insult for him, because that was the same as telling Brain that he was not a man. He knew that Climb was not aware of that, but the flame still built up anyway.

"Then you can die as a man"

Brain concentrated his might, radiating a sinister aura full of killing intent. He then went into battle stance, ready to draw his katana out from its sheath. So far, he had been only smacking Climb with the scabbard because he knew he would seriously injure Climb otherwise. But now he fully intended to unsheathe it and slash Climb with it.

While this was happening, Brain took another good look at Climb's face. What he saw was the face of a guy who still stood strong despite the visible fear on his beaten up face.

 _Why are you looking at me with that face?_

Brain activated one Martial Art of his.

[Instantaneous Flash]

 _Run, run away like a coward!_

Brain's perception was greatly enhanced, everything became a slow motion for him at this point.

 _Why are you not running away!?_

Brain moved with extreme speed towards Climb, putting him within range of his katana.

 _Why are you still standing there!?_

Brain began drawing his katana for a quick, yet lethal slash.

 _Are you not cherishing your life!?_

In Brain's eyes, Climb still stood strong. He could see that Climb was trying his best to evade, but it would be useless. Brain had anticipated any evasion movements Climb would make. His strike would be precise, slashing through Climb's neck and separate his head from his body.

 _Just drop dead then!_

 **WHOOSH!**

Brain's slash went over Climb's head, missing by just one or two centimeters. Any closer than that would have given Climb a quick shave on the head. The slash had not been evaded by Climb. Instead, Brain had missed on purpose.

Climb fell down on his knees, beads of sweat ran down his face, and he was out of breath. Brain let out a sigh and quickly sheathed his katana.

"It's my loss"

"W-What...?"

"Before we talk any further, do you have healing potions for your face? I will pay for its worth later"

"Oh, yeah..."

Later, the two of them sat on the ground leaning to the wall of a building at the side of the empty land. Climb had splashed a healing potion on his face, so now his face was already back to pristine condition.

"Climb... How did you do that?"

"What...?"

"How could you stand strong facing my killing intent? I have faced many enemies, and most of them lost their will to fight the moment I let that out. The few that didn't were either stupid, or genuinely strong enough to fight me"

Brain paused for a second, and then he continued.

"When it comes to battle prowess, you are not much better than most of my enemies, and I feel you are not the same as those idiots who would run face first into their death. So how? I can't accept a short answer of you being a man!"

 _Am I really the weak one all along?_

"I-I don't really know. Back then, I really thought that I would die. Your killing intent, it was real and overwhelming. I have no idea how I could withstand that, but..."

"But what?"

"Perhaps, it was the thought of my liege which sustained me"

"Your liege?"

"Yes. I thought of the person whom I serve, and it drove me to give my all"

 _Only that? How could he manage to stand strong with only that? Is there something more to that? Something I still fail to comprehend?_

"I'm sorry that I can't provide better answers"

"Ah, it's fine. I only need some time to think this over"

"I'm going to return to the palace then"

"Give my regards to Stronoff if you meet him"

"I will. Thank you for the valuable lesson"

Climb stood up and bowed to Brain.

"It's the other way around, dude. I only beat you up, while you taught me a lesson"

"W-Wha...?"

Climb staggered hearing Brain's words. Brain stood up as well, and then he gave Climb a quite hard pat on the back.

"You're kind, and you're strong in something beyond physical strength. Walk with your head held high"

Climb and Brain separated ways. Brain, having no idea what to do for the rest of the day, walked aimlessly through the streets. But now his mind had somewhat reinvigorated from his encounter with Climb, and while his psychological trauma was still there, he had realized that there might be a light of hope for getting over it.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 3rd Day, 08:15**

"Ainz-sama. May I request something?"

"What is it, Demiurge?"

Ainz was in his office in Nazarick, reading through reports along with Albedo assisting him. Though this time Demiurge was also there, seemingly interested in the recent reports, especially the ones coming from Sebas' masquerade mission.

"I believe you are planning to go to Sebas' place today, Ainz-sama?"

"Yes. Is something the matter?"

"The reports from Sebas piqued my interest, and I want to visit a particular place in the capital to check on that. So, if I may..."

"You want to hitch a ride on my Gate?"

"While that would be beneficial for my mana reserve, I can't ever imagine myself taking advantage of your benevolence"

"So what was the reason for asking if I plan to go there?"

"I merely want to make sure to time my visit so it won't interfere with the greater plan you have in mind"

"There's no such thing as greater plan in the current situation. In any case, I trust that it is for the benefit of Nazarick, isn't it? You have my permission, Demiurge"

"Thank you very much"

"Well, it is time already anyway. Come along, Demiurge"

"I humbly thank you for your generosity"

Ainz stood up from his desk, donned the mask and gauntlets he usually wore to conceal his undead nature, and casted the transportation spell.

[Gate]

"Take care of Nazarick while I'm away"

Ainz gave the command to Albedo as he walked to the dark portal.

"As you wish, Ainz-sama"

Both Ainz and Demiurge walked into the dark portal and disappeared from sight. Albedo couldn't help wondering why lately her supreme lord put so much effort on coexisting with inferior humans, but she decided to not question it further, because he must have thought of it thoroughly in a much bigger picture, far bigger than she could ever hope to imagine and comprehend.

"Ainz Ooal Gown..."

Albedo let out a heavy sigh.

"I can't... Ahh, I would love to hear that wonderful name again someday..."

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **So yeah, Climb still gets 'trained', but since the one training him is Brain instead of Sebas, the 'training' didn't have as much impact. In addition, Brain still needs some more time until he would figure out the secrets of Climb's strength since Sebas was not there to give him words of wisdom. All the major changes to the chain of events were merely caused by Swords of Darkness surviving Clementine's onslaught. It's butterfly effect in action.**

* * *

 **Q And A:**

* * *

 **Q:** SoHunar needs to be killed as soon as possible before he can grow stronger?

 **A:** Ideally, yes. However, Dark Falz can never be truly killed. They can only be weakened by making them suffer major defeats. They can also be sealed, but the price for doing that is very high and the seal is not really reliable.

* * *

 **Q:** If we're going to guess here, what level is Ainz now with the Photon Disks he now learned? (Power Levels)

 **A:** I'd say he's still the same level 100 Overlord. The photon techs in his possession were equivalent to Tier 9 Arcane Spell but with low cost. If we talk in game terms, the new spells he learned didn't improve his maximum damage, but they improved his long-term DpS thanks to their low cost. Learning a bunch of new Tier 9 spells didn't make him stronger directly, but it gave him more combat options which he could use to his advantage.

* * *

 **See you later.**


	37. Chapter 33: Night Battle Imminent

**Hi, author here again.**

 **Just two more weeks until the first anniversary of this story. But no, I don't prepare anything special. I've been enjoying my ride writing, and it will simply continue that way for a while.**

 **Without further ado, here's the next chapter. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 3rd Day, 08:55**

"Vivi, are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I am sure, Peter"

The Swords of Darkness team was on their way to the mansion where Tsuare was currently working. Their visit was according to the verbal appointment made with Sebas, the head butler of the place, two days before. Viviana had made her decision to keep her offer unchanged. She would offer herself to work for the lord to pay for her sister's healing.

"I don't mean to be rude, but... don't you hate nobles and rich people?"

Despite Dyne's question, Viviana kept walking without any change in either her pace or face expression.

"That pig and the one whom Sebas-dono serves are different. If this lord of Sebas-dono was even half as evil, they would have done bad things to Sebas-dono and my sister already"

"You have a point, but I still can't help worrying"

Viviana stopped her walk, and the others also stopped behind her. She then turned around and looked at her partners in their face. Her own face showed a mixture of happiness and sadness, smiling but the eyes seemed as if she could leak tears anytime.

"Guys, I'm really happy that you're concerned for my well-being. But this is now my own problem, all of you don't need to get involved this far"

"Hey, no matter what happens, we're still a team! We have been risking our lives together, and that's the way it goes, even now!"

Lukrut made that statement confidently, and the other two nodded in agreement.

"Even in the case of the lord accepting your offer, we will at least send you off properly. And if it turns out you're treated like a slave, we will find a way to break you and Tsuare out of there!"

Once again, Peter and Dyne nodded in agreement with Lukrut.

"Guys..."

Viviana couldn't help crying in happiness, and it took a few more minutes until she calmed down enough for the group to resume the walk.

Later, they arrived at the mansion. Viviana was about to knock the front door, but someone opened it from the inside. Behind the door was the old gentleman they knew.

"Welcome, members of Swords of Darkness adventurer team. Please come in"

Sebas bowed as he said that.

"Thank you for accepting us, Sebas-dono"

Peter said that, feeling that as the leader of the team he should act as the representative to handle the majority of the talks. The team as a whole would look bad if, in any chance, multiple persons started talking at the same time. Therefore everyone had agreed to let Peter take the role.

Soon, everyone were seated in the guest room once again. Tsuare was nowhere to be seen, so Sebas once again was the one serving cups of tea for everyone. Everyone drank the tea slowly, waiting for anything Sebas would say next.

"My lord is ready to meet you in his study. But he allows you time to prepare your mind if you need it"

The group looked at each other, and everyone nodded, telling that they are ready.

"We should not make him wait. Please take us to him"

"Understood. Please follow me then"

The group stood up and followed Sebas into the inner part of the mansion. The mansion, while much larger than an average house, was still far smaller than the royal castle, so the distance from the guest room to the study should not be that far. However, for the adventurers, especially Viviana, the walk felt like it lasted forever.

Once they arrived in front of a door, Sebas made a gentle knock on it. Within a second, a voice could be heard from the inside.

"You may come in"

The voice, which definitely had come from the lord, was quite heavy. A befitting voice of someone with authority and power. Yet, somehow they all felt that the voice was quite familiar. None of them wanted to question that, though.

Sebas opened the door, and the room behind the door was revealed to the group. Befitting the name, at least half of the walls were occupied by bookshelves filled to the brim with books. There was a fireplace at one side, with a small table and a quite luxurious chair next to it. At the end of the room, right by the window, there was a work table and another big chair behind it, and the lord was sitting there with a book on his hand. Tsuare was standing next to him, ready to serve if he needed it.

The group couldn't help feeling awed by the atmosphere, but their attention was mostly on the fact that the lord wore a full face mask of sinister expression. In addition, the robe he wore was gaudy and bulky, making him look much bigger than an average man. He would become the center of attention if he walked in the city looking like that.

The lord closed the book he was holding and put it on the table. He then straightened himself, looking directly at the group.

"Welcome, adventurers. You may sit down there"

Indeed, right in front of the table, there were four regular chairs. Without saying any words, the group sat down on the seats.

"You must be wondering about this mask. I have a personal reason for not wanting to disclose my face for now. That is all I can tell you for that matter. I have known your names, though I still don't know who is who. Nevertheless, allow me to introduce myself to you. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, and you can address me with just Ainz"

Ainz said that with his arms folded on the table. The group felt uneasy, but they were aware it would not be a good idea to inquire further about it.

"Now, which one of you, is Tsuare's sister?"

Viviana raised her hand the moment she heard the question.

"It's me, Ainz-sama"

Ainz then looked at Tsuare.

"Is that true, Tsuare?"

"Y-Yes..!"

"Alright..."

Ainz looked at the group again.

"Now, I believe we all know about the current situation, and I also have heard about your offer from Sebas. Does that offer still stand, or have you changed your mind, Viviana Veyron?"

Viviana gulped, she had a moment of hesitation, but she quickly and firmly returned to her initial decision.

"I stay with my offer. You may have myself as your property, to pay back for the scroll spent on my sister"

Ainz quickly raised his gauntlet-covered hand.

"Hold it right there!"

Everyone in the group were surprised with the sudden movement and the rather loud voice. Ainz sounded really angry. Viviana started to worry if she had made a mistake.

There was a total silence for at least twenty seconds, which felt like forever to the group, especially Viviana.

"Viviana, let me tell you something. You can think for yourself, you can feel emotions, you can eat, drink, and sleep. Those are signs that you are alive, a living human being. And human beings should not become the property of anyone else"

The group couldn't help feeling awed again by Ainz's speech.

"I know that my words were too idealistic compared to the reality out there, but at least that is what I believe, and I don't want to become part of the problem. So Viviana, you must not reduce yourself to a mere property. Cherish your life as a human being"

"I... I understand. But how should I pay back for the scroll?"

Ainz stood up slowly and walked to the window behind the chair. He gazed at the view behind the window, bathed in the morning sunlight. The group sat still, waiting for him to speak again.

"Tsuare"

"Y-Yes..?"

"Back then, when you were still in that place. How did the people there treat you?"

Tsuare staggered hearing the question. Viviana felt upset that Ainz had asked it because it was the same as opening her sister's old wounds, but she couldn't dare to object.

"I... I was treated... like a toy... He... He kept laughing... as he rap-"

Tsuare couldn't help sobbing as she spoke.

"Alright, enough"

There was another silence, although slighly disturbed by Tsuare's sobbing which couldn't stop right away.

"From what I hear, Tsuare, you were treated the same as a property there"

Ainz then looked at Sebas.

"Sebas bought you out from that place with my money, and healed you with my scroll"

Sebas bowed deeply as Ainz said that.

"I deeply apologize for my unauthorized actions"

Ainz didn't say anything in response. He just continued speaking.

"Now, Tsuare is standing right here. Not as someone else's property, but a human being with the name Tsuareninya Veyron. Her status had been raised from property to a human with her own free will, and to see the result of my ideals right in front of me, one scroll is not a big price to pay"

Ainz sat down on his chair once again.

"Now that I have made my point clear, I will tell you how you will pay for the scroll"

Viviana sat still nervously, waiting for Ainz's next words.

"There is a village under my care, and I want you to live there acting as a sentry for a while. I can't specify for how long yet, but you will be informed later"

The group felt dumbfounded hearing the words. They had been expecting an expensive price or an unimaginably tough mission, but what they had just heard was much lighter than their expectation.

"Umm, is that all?"

Viviana couldn't help asking the question. Ainz didn't seem to react hearing the question. He just soon replied with straight tone.

"I will assign you a task or two from time to time, but indeed that is all. By the way..."

There was a silence for a few seconds until Ainz spoke again.

"This matter is initially just between me and Viviana, but what about you three? Do you want to go together with her, or do you wish to separate and stay in this city?"

Hearing the question, Peter folded his arms and lowered his head, thinking deeply. But before long, he raised his head and looked at the other two. All of them nodded, seemingly able to understand immediately. He then began speaking.

"All four of us are part of a team, and we have been through thick and thin risking our lives together. Therefore, we would like to stay together and see things through until the end"

Viviana couldn't help leaking some tears again hearing Peter's words.

"Guys... Thank you... Thank you so much..."

"I acknowledge your decision. Now, Tsuare"

"Y-Yes?"

"I believe you want to live with your family again, no? You may live in that village with your sister"

Tsuare was startled, but she didn't seem delighted. Instead, she soon looked quite worried.

"Umm..."

"Is there something you are concerned with?"

Tsuare seemed very anxious, it took her tens of seconds of silence and anxious body gestures until she finally began speaking.

"Uhh... Will... Sebas-sama... be there... too...?"

"I'm afraid no. Sebas will be working for me at my domain after this"

"Oh..."

Tsuare seemed sad hearing that, but she didn't say anything further.

"Is something the matter, Tsuare? Speak out, I won't be angry or do anything bad to you"

It took another tens of seconds until Tsuare spoke out.

"I... I want to live and work with Sebas-sama!"

The adventurers, and also Sebas, were quite surprised with Tsuare's statement which she had spoken quite loudly. She panted after saying that, and her face showed fear and worry.

"I see. Now speak out the reason behind that statement of yours"

"I... I..."

Tsuare was unable to speak further. Her face was red all over, and she was on the verge of crying. Nobody among the adventurers had any idea what to say about this. But suddenly, Sebas spoke out.

"Pardon my intrusion, but I would like to request a discussion with Ainz-sama"

"Hmm... Alright. It seems Tsuare needs a little time anyway. Everyone other than Sebas, leave the room and wait until I call you back"

The Swords of Darkness group and Tsuare then left the room, leaving only Ainz and Sebas in there. They didn't want to overhear whatever would be discussed in the room, so they returned all the way to the guest room and sat there. Tsuare followed them and stood by.

"Tsuare-san, while it may not be my right to decide, I think you should sit down"

"I'm all right. Don't worry about me"

Tsuare replied to Peter's offer with a smile.

"Tsu-neesan, why did you say that back there?"

Tsuare was startled by Viviana's question.

"I... I..."

"Did you... fall in love with Sebas-dono?"

Tsuare were startled again, and the rest of the adventurers let out a big "WHAAAT?"

"Uhh, while I can see where this has come from, it's a little... I don't know how I should say it"

"You better don't say anything further, Lukrut"

"Dyne is right, Lukrut. This is not our business"

"So... Tsu-neesan. Are you sure, that Sebas-dono is the right man?"

"I was able to eat my fill here, and I was given an honest, proper work. He has risked everything he had, doing all these for me without permission from his lord, all to make me feel warm again when I was already almost dead... I know that my happiness is with Sebas-sama"

Viviana was silent for a short while after hearing Tsuare's words.

"Tsu-neesan. I understand your feelings, but please reconsider. Ainz-sama didn't seem to respond well to your wish. If you're stubborn, you might drag down Sebas-dono along with you. Is that what you want, Tsu-neesan?"

Tsuare fell into silence. What Viviana had just said seemed to strike home.

"By the way..."

Peter suddenly broke the silence.

"Ainz Ooal Gown... Does the name sound familiar to any of you?"

"Now that you mention it, indeed that name sounds familiar"

Dyne folded his arms and closed his eyes, thinking deeply. Then suddenly Lukrut stood up from his seat.

"Ah! I remember! It's the name mentioned in Carne Village!"

"Oh, now I remember too! The powerful magic caster who has saved the village from an attack, and now the village is fortified and guarded by strong goblins. So he is the one..."

Peter said that while nodding. Viviana seemed to become more worried than before. It was natural, because nobody wanted to get on the bad side of a powerful one, and Tsuare had skirted on that.

"Tsu-neesan..."

Tsuare herself showed a mixture of confusion, fear, and sadness. Nobody other than herself knew whether her fear was a fear to Ainz, or to the chance of not getting to live with Sebas.

Before long, Sebas entered the room.

"Lord Ainz is calling for you, Tsuare. As for the others, please wait here"

Nobody dared to object, and so they saw Tsuare and Sebas leaving the guest room. Nobody said anything during the wait, which once again felt like forever.

Finally, Sebas returned to the guest room.

"Lord Ainz is now calling for all of you. Please follow me"

The Swords of Darkness group complied and followed Sebas back to the study room. When they entered the room, Ainz's and Tsuare's position were the same as when they had entered the room for the first time.

"Welcome again, adventurers. You may take your seats again like before"

The group sat down on the chairs in front of Ainz's table again, waiting for anything he would say next.

"First, I'm going to announce that Tsuare will be working alongside Sebas as his direct subordinate"

The group couldn't hide their surprise, but everyone knew that asking would be a rude interruption, so nobody said anything.

"Therefore, she will move to my domain once Sebas is done with his work here"

Viviana raised her hand with hesitation, fearing that her action would be taken as rude. But she couldn't help it.

"M-May I ask one question, Ainz-sama...?"

"Go ahead"

"Will I... ever see my sister again...?"

"Ah, I see. Your fear and worry is natural, since you have no idea where my domain is. Do not worry, I will allow you to visit my domain from time to time, depending on your performance"

The face of the entire group, especially Viviana, showed clearly that they were relieved.

"Speaking of which, I haven't said which village it is, no? Do you know a village named Carne not far from the city named E-Rantel?"

"Yes, before moving here we took an escort job to the village"

"That makes things easier. How soon can you depart?"

Viviana looked at Peter. She still believed he should be the one to make the decision. Peter caught the drift and began speaking after a quick thinking.

"We can depart today if Ainz-sama wishes us to depart as soon as possible"

"How long until you arrive there?"

"I predict one week if we rent a carriage"

"I see. Depart immediately then. Also, Viviana..."

"Yes?"

Ainz took one book, a rather thin one, from somewhere behind the table and presented it to Viviana.

"Try studying this during the trip and report your progress to my subordinate at the village later"

Viviana took the book and opened it. She quickly skimmed through it to get a glimpse on what the book was about. Soon, she looked very surprised.

"This... this book teaches Lightning spell!"

The rest of the group were surprised hearing that. Lightning was a third tier spell, which was still beyond Viviana's capability. Viviana looked at Ainz with her face showing a big confusion, thinking that it might have been a mistake.

"Yes, I want you to try learning that spell during your travel. Of course I don't expect you to be able to cast it by the time you arrive. Just try learning it during your sentry duty and report your progress periodically"

"T-Thank you so much, Ainz-sama!"

Viviana bowed deeply while saying that. To her, an opportunity to learn a third tier spell felt like a chance of a lifetime, and it was natural that she felt very grateful.

"Don't thank me yet until you actually manage to learn it. Now go, and I wish you safe travels"

The Swords of Darkness group then stood up, said their farewell, and left the mansion.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 3rd Day, 10:17**

"Tsuare, you may leave the room"

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

After bowing, Tsuare left the study room, leaving only Ainz and Sebas there.

"Now, Sebas"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

"I conclude that your work here is done. You will vacate this place properly and return to Nazarick"

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

"But before that, we should properly give retribution to those who dared to blackmail Nazarick. Sebas"

Ainz looked at Sebas, whose face was stern and straight.

"You have my permission to wreak havoc on the place where you found Tsuare. Make them feel the wrath of Nazarick"

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

Without wasting time, Sebas left the room and the mansion. He immediately went to the brothel, full of determination to unleash the wrath of Nazarick on all the rotten humans inside.

Just within one hour, all the crews and guards of the brothel had been reduced into bloody mess. Sebas had ruthlessly broken into the brothel and killed all the rotten humans he had found, each with only a single punch. None of them had any chance of escaping because the Nazarick spy units which had been stationed there since the week before had coated all the entrances and exits with illusion from the moment Sebas began his raid, making anyone other than Sebas lost their way inside.

Staffan, the fat man who had blackmailed Sebas, happened to be in the brothel at that time, and he had met his end by Sebas' hand. The women who had been held captive inside the brothel were left alive, and after Sebas was done with his work, he arranged for the spy units to somehow attract official guards to the area, and then he quickly returned to the mansion without letting any guards or citizens see his face.

He also didn't return empty handed.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 3rd Day, 11:23**

"I have returned, Ainz-sama"

"Welcome back, Sebas. I... who is that?"

Ainz was a little surprised seeing Sebas coming back bringing another unconscious human. This time, it was a man. This man was very thin, his haircut was almost bald, and his face somehow gave off the vibe of a shemale.

"The spy units informed me that this man is one of the division leaders within Eight Fingers. I figured that he could be useful for the benefit of Nazarick"

"Hoo..."

Ainz fell into a deep thought. Indeed, a person of high position in the kingdom's underground society would be very useful. There were ways to utilize the person, such as torturing information out of him or enticing him to work as a mole for Nazarick, or both at once.

 _I didn't order him to do this, but he has made a great initiative._

"Splendid!"

That voice came out of a sudden from somewhere within the room. However, none of the two were alerted because the voice was from someone they knew, so they just calmly looked at the source.

"Welcome back, Demiurge. I suppose you are done with whatever took your interest"

"Indeed, Ainz-sama. And it was as interesting as I expected"

Demiurge smiled while adjusting his glasses with his finger. He then looked at Sebas and the human he carried with him.

"I didn't expect you to bring forward a very useful potential pawn, Sebas. Splendid indeed"

"Demiurge. Are you implying that I am incapable of thinking for the benefit of Nazarick?"

"It just simply never came to me"

"Oh, now I am compelled to point out the habit of demiurge to look down on others"

"Be reminded that your independent thinking almost compromised your mission"

"I have fully taken responsibility in that regard. Let me also remind you that we wouldn't get this 'potential pawn' otherwise"

Ainz fell into a muse watching the two creations of his friends arguing to each other. A flashback of his golden days in the guild appeared in his mind, specifically the moment back when Ulbert and Touch-Me argued. Something that had happened quite often back then.

"Hmm..."

Sebas and Demiurge realized what they had just done, and both quickly bowed to Ainz.

"Please forgive us for this shameful display before you, Ainz-sama!"

"I beg your pardon for making you witness our foolishness!"

Ainz didn't say anything, but soon he began laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

His laugh somehow sounded really happy, and the two subordinates had no idea what was happening.

"It's fine! It's... ugh..."

Ainz let out a sigh, and the happy mood disappeared without a trace, as if it had never existed.

"In any case, you did well, Sebas. I believe Demiurge knows exactly what to do with this man"

"I feel honored, Ainz-sama. I shall take care of it immediately"

"Good. I shall be returning for now"

[Greater Teleportation]

Ainz returned to Nazarick, but he couldn't help thinking that he might had seen a sinister smile on Demiurge's face right before teleporting.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 3rd Day, 18:51**

"So that happened, huh Brain?"

"Yes, Gazef. That boy, I beat him up good, yet he stood up again and again"

Gazef and Brain were sitting across each other over a dinner table in Gazef's house. Their faces were slightly red from drinking wine, and they had talked for quite a while.

"That boy, Climb. He unfortunately is already at his pinnacle If you ask me. But what he lacks in combat strength, he makes it up in determination"

"I concur, Gazef. I unleashed my best killing intent, and while he flinched, he didn't turn tail and run"

"I can imagine that. Either bravery or stupidity, I can never know for sure"

"When I asked how he could withstand it, his answer was like this..."

Brain then told Gazef about Climb's answers, and his own confusion on why a mere thought of a liege could become such a strong drive.

"I see"

Gazef smiled as he gave the short reply, which made Brain even more confused.

"So you still don't know about that matter, Brain. Look, people can unleash strength beyond what they are normally capable of for the sake of what they cherish. When they fight to protect something important to them, that's when their true strength shows"

"Something important...?"

Gazef's words made Brain fell into a deep thought. A feeling of regret began creeping up his mind. He had none of those because he had discarded everything he considered useless.

"I have lived my life incorrectly it seems..."

"Hey, better late than never, isn't it?"

Gazef tried cheering Brain up. Brain himself just smiled, realizing how he had been a fool all this time.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 20:49**

The home base of Hilma Cygnaeus was still quite busy despite the time being quite far beyond sunset, which was the normal bedtime for most commoners. Of course, the staffs working there were not really commoners. They were part of a huge underground organization, which was expected to be more active at night.

The busy activities were mainly caused by two significant events happening recently. One, the entire Six Arms had gone missing, dragging down the entire Security Division into chaos. Two, just the day before today, the Slave Trafficking Division had lost its brothel, which also served as one important base for the said division. The division leader, Cocco Doll, also went missing. Most likely captured by whoever had raided the brothel. With two divisions compromised, Hilma as the head of Drug Trafficking Division had stepped in to partially cover their work, effectively widening her influence across the organization and putting more works for her staffs.

None of that were important to the man sitting on the roof of the mansion, though.

This man, Elder, had been sticking around this mansion without care of what was happening. His focus was on the fluctuation of energy readings he felt within the nearby city. There were quite an amount of small fries he could beat easily, but there were also a few he would have quite a hard time with, and some others which would handily defeat him in his current state. He also had felt the presence of the one ultimate energy bearer, but in both occurrences it didn't last long. Probably teleported away.

Right now, he sat cross-legged with his arms folded, unable to decide on the action he should take next. He would love to fight the ones of roughly equal strength to him, but he would risk attracting the attention of the strong ones which would defeat him and cause a setback.

However, before he could think any further, something strange happened.

"What the...?"

Right below him, somewhere in the mansion, Elder suddenly sensed multiple presences of strong beings. To be precise, only two. One was about equal to him in strength, but the other would defeat him easily. A few seconds later he could sense that the small fries inside the mansion were being killed one by one by the two beings. Elder wanted to lay low, but he assumed that those two must have felt his presence already.

"Hmph!"

Elder opened a red portal and teleported to Hilma's bedroom. In there he saw Hilma still fast asleep.

"Wake up, woman!"

"Huh...? What?"

Hilma woke up and quickly went into alert state. Her instinct screamed that whatever reason for Elder to suddenly came to her room and wake her up this late was very important.

"We got intruders, and they are strong. Stronger than me"

Hilma's eyes went wide. Elder had killed Six Arms and grown stronger, yet now there were even stronger intruders. This was definitely bad news.

"Why are you telling me?"

"I just feel that I should honor your deed of giving me strong opponents back there"

Elder then summoned a blood red energy vortex right at Hilma's position, enveloping her.

"Wha... what's this!?"

"Now we are even"

Elder fisted his right hand, and Hilma disappeared without a trace. Elder had teleported her to somewhere far away from this place. He didn't know where she would end up, but he didn't care. With his debt repaid by saving her from the intruders, he considered his ties with her completely cut. She could end up in the wilderness and getting eaten by wild monsters, but she had nothing to do with him anymore.

"Now..."

Elder looked at the room's door.

"Overwhelming disadvantage, huh? I'm getting bored laying low. This will be interesting"

Elder let out a little laugh, and then he nonchalantly walked to the door, fully intending to face the intruders head on.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 8:05**

The Ignite Maximus team had just got back to the Adventurer's Guild after doing a Mithril Rank job the day before. It had been decided that Alice would be promoted to Orichalcum like Ryu and Lily after they complete a number of Platinum and Mithril Rank jobs together, so over the last week they had been doing that.

"Alright, with this report your job is complete. Thank you for the hard work"

The receptionist said it while handing the reward money to Ryu, who just took it and put it into his coat's inner pocket without saying anything.

As the team left the receptionist desk, Ryu felt a little relieved because there had been no Darkers in sight over the last week, so things in the city still continued as normal. However, he also felt worried that ARKS still had not arrived yet.

 _Seriously, what is taking them so long?_

Before Ryu could think further, two persons wearing same outfit entered the guild and went straight to the receptionist. This piqued Ryu's interest, so he stood and watched as the people talked to the receptionist. Soon after, both of them looked at him and one approached him.

"Pardon me, you are Ryu Seika and Lily Vangraf of Ignite Maximus team, correct?"

"Yes, though we recently recruited a third member. This is Alice Vegelshaft"

Ryu could understand that the news of a third member would still need some time to spread, but he believed it was appropriate to correct the man to keep him updated.

"I see. Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are aides of Marquis Raeven, and we would like to make a job request by name"

The aide then explained about a recent disturbance over the capital, and the aforementioned noble wanted to hire adventurers to increase the security of his residence.

"The reward is 250 platinum coins for the team"

"Wait what? Why would he pay that much for hiring pretty much security guards?"

"There are more things which we would explain on the way should you accept, which we hope you will"

"Let me ask something first. Are we the only team you are going to hire?"

"We are also tasked to request Darkness team"

Right after the aide said that, two familiar figures entered the guild. Ryu noticed them and looked back to the aide in front of him.

"Speak of the devil. Go ahead and talk to them while I consider your offer"

"Certainly, sir"

The aide, followed by the other aide, approached Momon and Nabe, and then they began talking. In the meantime, Ryu spoke to Alice and Lily.

"What do you think? If you ask me, it kinda sounds fishy"

"Yep, really fishy, Ryu-san"

"I concur. Even him, one of the Six Great Nobles, would never hire adventurers all the way from here just to act as securities. And high rank ones to boot. It is as if he knows a great conflict will happen soon"

"Could it be... civil war?"

"Can't rule out the possibility, knowing the power struggle within the kingdom. But we adventurers have the right to back out from a job without penalty if the job turns out to involve political motives"

"I see. Well, I think I will accept and see what happens. I want to see a different city once in a while anyway. Do you agree?"

"Alright, Ryu-san!"

"If you say so, alright"

So, both Ignite Maximus and Darkness accepted the job from Marquis Raeven, and as part of the agreement they all had to depart immediately. The two aides casted multiple Floating Board spells for the teams to sit on while they would use Fly to go straight to Re-Estize capital.

While sitting still on the soaring magical board, Ryu felt a little excited. Seeing another large city of this planet would be a new experience for him, and he hoped the job wouldn't turn out into something bad.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **One thing I think I should mention is that** **Tsuare didn't get kidnapped in this story because Six Arms had been annihilated by Elder. After Sebas and Solution got their business done, they returned to the mansion and found Tsuare still safe and sound, waiting for them. The three of them went back to Nazarick afterwards.**

 **Nevertheless, with this chapter the entire Volume 5 is now covered and now it's time to proceed to the most interesting part of Volume 6: The Battle of Re-Estize Capital.**

 **See you again later.**


	38. Intermission 4

**Hi, everyone! Today is the first anniversary of this story!** **Back then, this all started when I randomly thought of inserting my old PSO2 character into Overlord verse. Before I knew it I'm already quite into it, and here we are above 30 chapters in and covering six volumes already.**

 **I don't have anything to say other than "Thank you!" to anyone who has been bearing with me. I have never expected to reach over 100 favorites and followers, and I'm genuinely delighted for that.**

 **Also, thank you for those who gave comments and suggestions, either openly in reviews or through private message. Without those, the story would probably have become less interesting for me. (Seriously, Lily and Liz wouldn't be here without you. You know who you are)**

 **Like I said before, I didn't prepare anything special for the anniversary day. I did update my gallery, though. Check it out if you like. Links are in my profile.**

 **In any case, here's an intermission chapter with updated character sheets at the end. See you again soon.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Somewhere in The Universe, Unspecified Time**

Outer space is vast. No arguing about that matter.

If you were floating in space and look around, you would see an overwhelming amount of twinkling stars in every direction. Pick any one star and try going there. Without any means of traveling faster than light, it would likely take much longer than a human's lifespan to get there. That is how vast universe is.

And yet, in one part of the universe, there was a ruin of a colossal spaceship. The length of which was approximately 70 kilometers. A number of much smaller ships flew around the ruin, scanning it for things that could be salvaged, and hopefully survivors as well.

This ruined spaceship had used to be Ur, ship number 002 of the numerous ships within ARKS Fleet. It had met its demise thanks to a Dark Falz attack, which was a rather common occurrence within the life of ARKS Fleet.

The combined effort of ARKS as a whole had managed to defeat the Dark Falz, causing it to retreat. However, Dark Falz can never be truly killed. Eventually, they would return and wreak havoc again. Ur was not the first casualty, and would not be the last.

Among the smaller ships, there was one quite larger than the rest. This one was about 150 meters wide, 100 meters long, and 15 meters tall with the shape similar to a half-circle with a vertical pair of twin thrusters at each side. From the center to the back-center part of the ship was a large room containing seats for tens of people, and the back-end part of the room contained a circular pedestal filled with glowing water and soil. A large, lush, seven meters tall tree stood on this pedestal. Its trunk, branches, and leaves were all green, and the tree as a whole was sparkling with light particles.

Nearby this pedestal, there was a man walking in circles anxiously. His black hair was straight and reached his neck, with a long ponytail reaching his waist behind. The right part of his face was covered by a rather sinister-looking white half-mask with red lines and eye. He wore a rather large headphone, the color of which was black with white edges, contrasting his overall dark color theme. His mostly black outfit was, to describe it shortly, disheveled. As a whole, it fully covered his body from neck to toe, making his face the only body part with exposed skin. But it had torn edges all over, with a cape that only covered the left part of the body. Overall, this man looked like a ragged desert wanderer.

"Mushi. Worrying won't make it any better. Sit down and keep calm"

Another man with spiky medium-length hair and wearing a tidy black long coat was sitting on one of the seats.

"Easier said than done, Kusa"

The two men were part of IGNITE team, Kusaiki and Yukasa Seika. The latter being a hero of ARKS, who had played a crucial role in a past battle against Dark Falz Loser, ultimately thwarting their quest for omniscience. Right now Yukasa, usually nicknamed as 'Mushi' by his fellow team members, was worried sick because his brother, Ryu Seika, had gone missing ever since a recent Dark Falz attack which had destroyed Ur.

The ship they were in was a spaceship given to registered ARKS teams without exception. IGNITE was one of the many registered ARKS teams, so naturally they got one. The members have been using this spaceship as refuge after the destruction of Ur.

Soon, a man appeared from the teleporter at the front end of the room. Like Kusaiki, he had spiky medium length hair, but he wore a pair of demon horns as a head accessory. This man was Mikuo Matsui Ushio, usually called Mat by others. He was the leader of IGNITE. He walked a bit from the teleporter, and then with a disappointed expression he shrugged and shook his head.

"Nope, still no sign of him"

What Mat had said didn't make Yukasa felt any better. But then another person appeared from the teleporter. This time, rather than a person, he was an android. To be exact, a CAST. The definition of CAST was an ARKS operative who had undergone a body modification for various reasons. Normally, a CAST was a cyborg; part mechanical, part biological. However, this cape-wearing, jet-black with green lines CAST was a fully artificial android.

"You better have a good news, Yamino"

Yukasa spoke with a rather hopeful tone. The android was Yamino Seika, the guardian of Seika siblings. Though to be exact, his devotion was mainly focused on the sole sister of the siblings; Hikaru Seika, who right now was sitting at one corner without saying anything.

"I dunno if this is a good news but..."

Despite being an artificial android, Yamino spoke fluently like how a human naturally spoke, though he had been complaining for ages about his voice sounding like a female even though he had been made male.

"What?"

"As you already know, all civilians and operatives in Ur, dead or alive, have been counted. The only one still missing is Ryu. Doesn't it already sound unusual?"

"Of course. ARKS has the technology to search for people quickly without missing. A powerless civilian can be found within a short time, let alone a photon-capable operative"

"Right, now here's the interesting part. Teeheehee"

Yukasa sighed with a facepalm, seeing that Yamino still found time to do that signature lame laugh in a time like this.

"I hacked the logs of Ur Lobby Area computers which thankfully were still pretty much intact, and I found that right about the time of the Dark Falz attack, a Gate Ship was launched without proper authorization. The Gate Ship itself is still missing until now"

Hearing Yamino's words made Yukasa's expression change. A small light of hope was kindled within his mind.

"...Are you telling me that..."

"I still can't say for sure, but we can bet on the off chance that Ryu-jiji was the one using that Gate Ship, can't we?"

"Definitely"

Some cheers could be heard from other people within the ship from the moment they heard those words. As a whole, IGNITE was already like one big happy family, so hearing the hopeful news was very delightful for everyone.

"Thank you, Yamino. I will try to ask Xiao if he can help pinpointing the location of that Gate Ship"

"Teeheehee, no problem"

The conversation didn't continue because suddenly four people teleported in. All four of them were women, and they were all IGNITE members. Everyone in the team knew three of them as Snow Trio, consisting of Katalynn Axilis, usually called Snow, Courina Subaru, usually called Su, and Sakurazaki, usually called Saku. The fourth one was Kurohime Zebra, usually called Zeb by others.

Snow walked a bit from the teleporter with straight, serious face. She then began speaking.

"We got news from higher ups. A new planet is now targeted by Darkers. However, they still need time to calibrate the warp drive, unless you want to risk your Gate Ship blown to pieces warping there"

Yukasa approached Snow and asked a question.

"Snow, can you give me the coordinates of that planet?"

"Sure"

Both Snow and Yukasa activated their photon interface. Soon, Yukasa seemed to be thinking over the data he had just received.

"Hmm... Yamino, is there any logs on the Gate Ship's last known location?"

"Yes. Here, I'm sending it to you"

Yukasa then pondered over both data. His face seemed serious.

"What's the matter?"

"Maybe this is just coincidence but... If I cross reference the location of this Ur ruins and the last known position of the Gate Ship, the resulting line points straight towards that planet"

"Do you mean that whoever was in that Gate Ship, might be Ryu-jiji to boot, is now all alone against Darkers on that planet?"

"It's a possibility. Snow, did they tell you how long it will take to calibrate?"

"Weeks, maybe even months. The disturbance towards the coordinate is abnormal"

"I guess we have no choice. I believe none of us want to risk additional casualties"

Yukasa let out a little sigh. Yamino agreed with him.

"Yeah, Ryu-jiji won't be happy if we risk it and he finds out. Let's hope for the best, I guess. We all know that Ryu-jiji is one of our best Force, right? He won't go down easily"

Everyone nodded in agreement. But soon, Yamino looked around.

"By the way... where's Hikaru? I thought she already came back here before me"

"What? I could have sworn she was here just a minute ago"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Singing Apple Pavilion, Arwintar, Unspecified Time**

The inn named Singing Apple Pavilion was widely accepted among Workers in Arwintar as their home base. There were various reasons for that, either beneficial or simply going with unwritten tradition.

Inside one of the rooms, there was a girl sitting on one of the two beds. She looked a little down, seemingly not knowing what she should do. Foresight, a team of four Workers, had provided her and her companion this decently comfortable room. In exchange, Sheep, her companion, had to work for Foresight.

Both Sheep and all members of Foresight knew this girl as Rose, a poor, helpless girl who had been tortured by adventurers and now was psychologically broken from the traumatic experience.

At least that was what they believed.

" _Rose... Can you hear me down there?"_

" _..."_

" _Rose...?"_

" _Yeah, I can hear you"_

" _Do you really want to keep doing this...?"_

In truth, the one currently in control of the body was Meru. Her clothes was still the one worn by Rose because they had found a way to switch without their clothes switching along. Meru had been in control since not long after the traumatic day, and Rose had never switched with her again ever since.

" _Yeah"_

" _But... isn't this... lying?"_

" _No! I'm not lying to her! I'm really scared of this planet now!"_

" _Rose..."_

" _Look! At any second, someone can just snap their finger and you're paralyzed, bound, or in pain. Or all at once. Who's to say that there's no worse effect like death!?"_

Meru didn't reply to Rose, because she felt Rose had a point. Moreover, despite the more aggressive personality, Rose actually was more afraid of death than Meru, who would sacrifice her own life willingly for greater good if need be.

" _But why should I play helpless like this?"_

" _If she knows we're not helpless, she will just tell us to be strong and leave"_

In truth, despite being quite traumatized, Rose had not become broken at all. She simply had just realized the true danger of this planet. Her fear was amplified by the fact that she was cut off from ARKS Fleet, which meant everything would have much bigger consequences on her than normal. She had begged Meru to play the role of helpless, broken girl to prevent Sheep from leaving her, and indeed Meru was quite good at playing the role.

" _But Rose... Don't you remember that Sheep is all the way here away from her home, wherever it is, to look for someone?"_

" _..."_

" _That someone might be important to her, but she put that aside for our sake. Don't you think that tying her up with us like this is wrong?"_

" _But..."_

" _Rose, I love you like my own twin sister, but I can't go troubling other people this far. Especially someone as kind as Sheep"_

Before Rose could reply to Meru, someone entered the room. There was no knocking because that was Sheep, who shared the room together. She still looked the same as before, except that her horns were invisible and both her eyes were the same black color. Thanks to the illusion magic casted on her, she looked like a normal human now.

"How are you, Rose?"

"I... I'm fine..."

Sheep smiled a little and approached Meru. She then sat on the same bed, right next to Meru.

"Is there something you need, Rose?"

"I..."

" _Rose, I want you to come clean. But I won't force you. Tell me, what do you want me to do?"_

" _Meru, switch... I will do it myself"_

" _Alright"_

Rose twitched a little as the switch happened. Sheep was a little startled seeing the sudden twitch.

"Are you alright, Rose? You just... twitched"

Rose then stood up from the bed, positioned herself right in front of Sheep facing her, and stood still. Her face showed worry and regret.

"Rose?"

Rose then dropped into prostration.

"I'm really sorry, Sheep"

Sheep was surprised seeing the sudden action.

"What's the matter, Rose? Why the sudden-"

"I have been lying to you"

"What...?"

Rose then, while staying in her prostrated position, confessed the fact that she had not become broken from the traumatic experience, and also the fact that she actually could fight well. Sheep listened while still sitting on the bed, her face remained straight.

"I merely didn't want you to leave me, so I feigned being broken. I'm sorry, Sheep. I really am"

There was a silence for several seconds. Sheep then sighed.

"And I thought I had someone in the same boat"

Rose raised her head, she was confused about what Sheep had just said. Sheep's face showed disappointment, and Rose began to worry seeing that.

"S-Sheep... What do you mean by that?"

"Isn't that obvious already?"

" _Rose... I think she meant that she is a broken person for real"_

" _What? She doesn't look like it!"_

" _Remember what she said, Rose. Things may not be what they seem"_

"Sheep... You mean... You are broken... for real?"

Another few seconds of silence without anyone moving, and then Sheep sighed again.

"I used to be human, just like you"

Rose couldn't hide her surprise, but she didn't say anything.

"Well, until that bastard Luther did this"

"Who...?"

"Doesn't matter. He's dead"

"Oh..."

"But what is already broken can never be repaired"

Sheep looked at her own hands, then she covered her left eye with one hand. Shortly after, she raised her hand and touched her invisible horns. And then she sighed again.

"Sheep... I'm sorry for you"

"I don't need your sympathy"

"How can I make up for what I have done to you?"

"Come closer, Rose"

Hearing Sheep's words, Rose slowly stood up and walked to her. She felt the weight of the guilt inside, and she was worried about what would happen next. She would accept a scolding, or even a hard slap in the face. Anything but being left alone.

Once Rose was literally right in front of Sheep, she stood up and looked directly at Rose's face. Feeling guilty, Rose couldn't bring herself to look at Sheep in the eyes, and therefore she hung her head, looking down.

 _Click!_

Rose felt a light pain on her forehead. Being a little surprised, she raised her head. That was the moment she realized that Sheep had just given her a forehead flick. She also saw that Sheep was smiling again.

"You silly. I won't leave you all alone. I said so, didn't I?"

"But... aren't you looking for someone? I thought... I thought you would leave once I got over it"

"Are you?"

"What?"

"Are you getting over it already?"

Rose was speechless over Sheep's question. There was a silence for a few seconds.

"I... I don't know..."

"Then you're still not over it"

Sheep then gently hugged Rose again.

"Don't worry Rose. I won't leave you until I'm sure you will be fine without me. My search can wait"

Rose couldn't help feeling touched by Sheep's kindness. She now really regretted having lied to her.

"Thank you, Sheep. Really"

"Heh, moreover..."

"What?"

"If my shepperd sees me here, he's gonna kill me"

"Huh?"

"Just kidding"

"Oh come on, Sheep"

"Teeheehee"

Sheep laughed a little as they released their hug. Rose couldn't believe how Sheep still found time to joke around in what should have been a touching moment in any story. Though Rose must admit that it had helped to cheer her up.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **I decided to put an intermission before getting into the next chapter, because writing a fight scene is more difficult and I need some more time to complete it. It's already more than halfway in the works, so it shouldn't take too long.**

 **Did you notice the 'real' counterparts of the supporting characters back in "Bloodied Village" chapter?**

 **In any case, see you again later.**

* * *

Updated Character Sheets

* * *

 **Name:** Ryu Seika

 **Height:** 173 cm

 **Appearance:** See cover image or gallery

 **Class:** Force level 70

 **Sub Class:** Techer level 70

 **Skill Build:** Thunder Element and Dark Element focused

 **Main Weapons:** Weddle Park Rod, Gal Wind Talis

 **Reserve Weapons:** Rod of Caduceus, Wand of Elysion, Dahgash Talis, Metal Ignis Talis, Heretic Saw Talis, Motav Prophecy Talis, Seimei Kikami Talis

 **Special Perks:**

*. Photon Inventory. Works the same way as Ainz's inventory system.

*. Photon Armor. A defensive invisible energy shield, giving protection to the whole body.

*. Photon Clothing. Enables instant change of clothes.

*. Photon Blast - Julius Nifta. Creates an energy sphere which pulls everything within one kilometer radius into it and disintegrates those touching the sphere.

*. Ring of Minor Protection. Guards against all low level ailments.

*. Ring of Nullification. Guards against harmful spells up to tier two. Has three charges which replenishes each day.

*. Flight Necklace: Enables the use of [Fly] spell

* * *

 **Name:** Lily Vangraf

 **Height:** 148 cm

 **Appearance:** See gallery (Link at author's profile)

 **Class:** Loyal Dog (Level 5), The Creature Within (Level 27)

 **Equipment:**

Winged Helmet of Vedrfolnir. Enchanted, increases maximum HP, passively regenerates HP.

Breastplate of Vedrfolnir (With cape). Enchanted, reduces stab damage, reduces fire damage.

Gauntlets of Vedrfolnir. Enchanted, increased resistance to poison, increased resistance to paralysis.

Greaves of Vedrfolnir. Enchanted, 10% chance to survive with 1 HP upon taking fatal damage.

Twin Swords of Vedrfolnir. Enchanted, adds arcane damage, enabling it to deal damage to ethereal beings.

Simple Red Shirt

Simple Black Shorts

Simple Black Socks

Ring of Nullification. Guards against harmful spells up to tier two. Has three charges which replenishes each day

Flight Necklace: Enables the use of [Fly] spell

 **Special Perks:**

*. Vedrfolnir's Flight (5 pieces): Substantial increase of agility and stamina

*. The Creature Within: Increase of all stats according to level

*. Photon Arts: Various foreign attack moves, bestowed by Ryu

* * *

 **Name:** Alice Vegelshaft (Liz)

 **Height:** 154 cm

 **Appearance** : See Gallery (Link at author's profile)

 **Level:** 22

 **Talent:**

Hierophant of Language: Able to instantly learn new language if certain conditions are met. Also can instantly bestow knowledge of already known language to other people at great mana cost.

 **Job Levels:**

Wizard: Level 6

Sorcerer: Level 4

Elementalist (Fire): Level 5

Scholar: Level 7

 **Equipment:**

Ordinary Headband

Noble Wizard's Robe

Simple Short Dress

Leather Trousers

Leather Boots

Staff of Lesser Mana Regeneration

Flight Necklace: Enables the use of [Fly] spell

 **Special Perks:**

Photon Techs: Various foreign spells, bestowed by Ryu.

* * *

 **Name:** Mel Rose (Meru and Rose)

 **Height:** 144 cm

 **Appearance:** See Gallery (Link at author's profile)

 **Class:** Force level 75 (Meru), Braver level 75 (Rose)

 **Sub Class:** Techer level 75 (Meru), Fighter level 75 (Rose)

 **Skill Build (Meru):** Fire, Dark, and Light element focused.

 **Skill Build (Rose):** Full offensive glass cannon

 **Main Weapons (Meru):** Nox Lipher Rod, Nox Krieg Talis

 **Main Weapons (Rose):** Nox Sagephus Katana

 **Reserve Weapons** : Koushousen Talis (Meru)

 **Special Perks:**

*. Photon Inventory. Works the same way as Ainz's inventory system.

*. Photon Armor. A defensive invisible energy shield, giving protection to the whole body.

*. Photon Clothing. Enables instant change of clothes.

*. Photon Blast - Ketos Proi. Gradually heals and significantly regenerates mana while it is active.

* * *

 **Name:** Sheep (Real name: ?)

 **Height:** 155 cm

 **Appearance:** See Gallery (Link at author's profile)

 **Race:** Demon(?)

 **Level:**? (At least higher than 50)

 **Class Level:**

? level ?

? level ?

 **Equipment:**

Unknown Demonic Bow

?

White Fluffy Hat

Unknown Outfit (?)

 **Special Perks:**

Conceal Object: Illusion magic casted on her horns to make them invisible

Alter Object Color: Illusion magic casted on her left eye to make it identical in colors to her other eye

? Storage (?): Able to store her demonic bow in some kind of spatial magic


	39. Chapter 34: Sacrilege of Gehenna Flames

**Hi, all!**

 **I have nothing to say this time. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 21:05**

Elder walked through the hallway of the mansion, his mind being quite excited. There were two strong intruders and one of them was much stronger than Elder at his current state. There was no way to win, yet he looked very confident. The main reason because he believed he could escape by teleporting away if he lost, and he might be able to absorb some energy and get stronger again.

Elder descended the mansion's staircase to the first floor, and as he had expected, one of the intruders was there staring at him. This one was the stronger one, whom Elder had no hope to beat. The other one seemed to be behind one of the doors near this intruder, judging from the energy readings he felt.

For Elder, this intruder's looks was more or less normal. He had seen a lot of ARKS wearing even more out-of-ordinary outfits. The intruder's short skirts was irrelevant to determine their gender because Elder had seen a lot of male ARKS wearing girl outfits, so he wouldn't be surprised if this intruder was a boy. Also, the long ears reminded him of Newman, a race within ARKS people who commonly was more gifted in photon techs than physical photon arts.

In short, this intruder could walk around ARKS ship and nobody would bat an eye. But Elder knew that this intruder was from this planet. Their energy was different.

"A-are you the most important person in this place? I-it can't be, right? They say that it is a woman"

The intruder asked timidly, but Elder didn't lower his guard.

"The woman you're looking for isn't here anymore. She is now far away from here"

"W-what? Oh no, what should I do?"

The intruder seemed to panic hearing Elder's reply. Elder still didn't lower his guard because he knew that this intruder could handily beat him down in an instant.

One door behind the intruder opened, and the other intruder came into Elder's vision. This other intruder looked somewhat more bizzare than the first, but again, Elder was unfazed on that.

"You should report the situation to the higher ups"

"Oh. R-right..."

Suddenly, the first intruder disappeared from sight, leaving only the second, who was the weaker of the two. Elder estimated that he was still a little weaker than this one, while his Hunar form would beat them easily.

"Now, what are you to this place?"

This intruder asked while chewing what seemed like a severed arm, torn from whoever the poor human had been. Their expression didn't change at all, and the mouth-like lines on their face didn't seem to move while speaking. In fact, they seemed to be shoving the severed arm through the underside of their jaw.

"I am someone who owed something to that woman. But now I owe nothing so I no longer have anything to do with this place"

"I see. Then can we just pretend that we didn't see each other and go our own ways?"

"No. I want to fight you"

The intruder stopped chewing the moment they heard Elder's words.

"Fight me? Why? What would be the benefit for you?"

"I simply want good battles"

"Oh, a death seeker... I see..."

The intruder resumed chewing.

"Unfortunately, I am on a mission which I have to accomplish. But then again, you seem to be quite a bothersome, suicidal fellow. How about this?"

The intruder raised their hands straight to Elder, showing all ten fingers.

"Ten minutes. That is the time I need to give orders to my demon vassals. That is also the time I give you to consider your options. If you are still here by then, I will fight you, and then I will eat you. Otherwise, I will pretend to have never seen you"

"...Deal. I will be right out the front door. But if you dishonor this by fleeing yourself, I will find you, and I will kill you"

"Yeah, yeah"

The intruder then turned around and disappeared into the darkness of the room behind the door. Elder turned to the front door and went out to the spacious area in front.

Ten minutes later, as agreed upon, the expressionless intruder came out from the front door. Elder stood still at a visible distance with his arms folded, his sight was fixated on the intruder.

"So you're still here. Your bravery, or stupidity, is commendable"

"Let's just cut to the chase"

Right after saying it, Elder went into battle stance. The intruder didn't move much. They just looked at Elder with their expressionless face. They then spoke as they walked away from the door.

"Before we begin, would you allow us to know each other's name?"

"Elder"

"Entoma"

Without any further words, Entoma threw something at Elder, seemingly a sheet of paper.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

[Lightning Bird Talisman]

The paper turned into a lightning bolt with the shape of a bird. Elder sidestepped to dodge at the last moment, making it miss completely. He then charged towards Entoma and launched a straight punch, which Entoma swiftly blocked with a shield she had summoned out of nowhere.

[Hard Armor Bug]

[Blade Bug]

Entoma's other arm suddenly wielded a broadsword, which she swiftly used to slash at Elder. Elder dodged by jumping back, though he got grazed a little at his left arm.

Entoma looked at her shield, then back at Elder.

"You're stronger than I thought. I never thought that you could make a dent on my shield"

Elder didn't say anything. He maintained his battle stance, ignoring the small flesh wound on his left arm.

"Too bad it is not enough"

Entoma put her other hand over her shield. The hand emitted green light, and then the shield was back to its prime condition. Elder just smirked seeing that.

"Interesting"

Elder then charged at Entoma again and threw a flurry of punches. All of them were either blocked, parried, or avoided. She then did a counter slash, which Elder narrowly avoided by jumping back.

"You're interesting. I can't wait for the moment I eat you... You sure will taste good..."

"Heh, too bad. It won't happen"

"I beg to differ"

Entoma then threw more sheets of paper.

[Lightning Bird Swarm Talisman]

The sheets of paper turned into numerous same, but smaller than before, lightning bolts shaped like birds. Elder, avoided the first ones by jumping aside, and the rest by jumping up. However, while he was still in the air...

[Bullet Bug]

Entoma shot a swarm of bullet-like projectiles at Elder. Being still airborne, Elder was unable to evade, so he braced himself with his arms and aura. The damage he sustained from this attack was not much, but not small enough to be ignored.

"Hahahaha! This is a good fight indeed!"

Elder just laughed, despite him being the one seemingly losing.

"Death seeker indeed. I wonder... how long until I can wipe that laugh off your face"

The fight between the two continued without either side showing any signs of imminent defeat. Elder didn't slow down despite sustaining injuries at parts of his body. In fact, he seemed to get faster and more fierce as the fight went on. Entoma herself was no longer undamaged. Her shield was dented and her broadsword had gotten chipped.

 **WHAM!**

Elder got a clean hit with his straight punch to Entoma's chest, launching her away. She landed on her two feet, but quite staggered on what had just happened.

"Enough!"

[Thousand Lash Bug]

Entoma summoned a giant centipede which then latched to her right arm, replacing the broadsword. This centipede took shape of a giant long whip, effectively increasing her melee attack range and changing her fighting style.

"Tch!"

Elder couldn't get close to Entoma. The centipede whip was strong, yet quick. With each downward strike, the stone floor was crushed, creating a hole. With each attempt from Elder to get close, the whip retracted and formed a barricade. Elder couldn't just jump and attack from above either, since he would be a sitting duck against that agile whip while airborne.

"Now, if you kneel down and beg, I will make sure you die a painless death"

"In your dream"

"Then I will devour your limbs one by one while keeping you alive to watch"

The centipede whip then curled into a big ball while still leaving a length of its body functioning as link, effectively changing Entoma's weapon from a whip to a giant flail. Entoma then did a downward strike, which Elder evaded. But the resulting tremor from the strike made Elder lose balance, distracting him for a bit. Entoma didn't miss this chance. Her flail turned back into a whip and quickly moved to wrap around Elder.

"I got you now. Too bad"

The tower of circling centipede obstructed Entoma from seeing Elder. Inside her mind, she smiled over her victory. However...

"Hahaha! Interesting!"

"I see you have gone mad from your defeat. Too bad. I really wanted to see your face of despair when I devour you"

Suddenly, the centipede tower bloated and exploded, ripping it off all over its body. Some severed parts twitched after falling to the ground, and then they became motionless. The centipede had been slain.

Entoma was shocked by the sudden occurence. She looked at the spot where the centipede tower had used to be, and in its place there was a four meters tall humanoid creature.

"W-what?"

[Bullet Bug]

[Explosive Talisman]

[Sharp Cutting Talisman]

Entoma threw all attacks she could into the creature. All of them hit, but didn't do any damage. The creature just stood there unfazed. At this point, her instincts screamed at her to get out of there.

However, escaping would mean aborting her mission, and it would be a disgrace to Nazarick. Therefore, she decided to stay and fight, even if she would get killed in the end. At least, she intended to buy time for the demon vassals to finish their job of plundering the mansion.

"Once again, I found an opponent worthy to use my Falz Hunar form against! I commend you for that!"

Hunar immediately jumped straight up and did a diving kick straight to Entoma. The kick was too fast for her to evade, so she raised her shield bug to block.

 **CRASH!**

The impact made a shockwave all around and created a circular dent on the ground below Entoma. The shield bug let out a painful screech before getting shattered into pieces. Like the centipede, it was slain. But it had done its job, seeing that Entoma herself didn't take significant damage from the attack.

Entoma quickly jumped back as Hunar did a downward punch, narrowly avoiding it. As Hunar's fist made contact with the ground, red pillars of energy emerged and homed in on Entoma. She couldn't evade in time and took a direct hit.

"Aargh!"

The damage she took from the pillars was significant. Her face bug and lip bug disintegrated, revealing her grotesque true face and real voice.

"HoW... hOw dArE YoU...!"

Entoma then unleashed her extra appendages which she had been hiding from behind her back. The appendages were large and acted like the legs of an arachnid, putting her human-like body in suspended position.

Hunar still stood unfazed. In fact, he made a mocking hand gesture, telling Entoma to come at him.

[Spider Web]

Entoma spit white threads at Hunar, who was not impressed. He quickly grabbed the large curved object he had behind his back, which turned out to be a large sword, and slashed the spider webs away with it.

[Slashing Spider Web]

Entoma spit threads once again, and this time the threads were solid sharp ones which could cut hard materials to pieces. However, once again Hunar slashed them off.

[Breath of Fly]

Entoma summoned numerous insects which could pierce the opponent and lay eggs, and the eggs would then hatch and the offsprings would eat the target from the inside. They swarmed all over Hunar, enveloping him wholly. However, none of them could pierce his body.

"Woooaaaargh!"

Hunar charged up his power, emitting red blazing aura. He then raised his fist and punched the ground he was standing on. The impact made an explosion and shot out numerous red energy pillars traveling outwards in spiral motion around Hunar. The shockwave stunned the bugs and Entoma, and the pillars eradicated all the bugs. Entoma herself also took a hit from one of the pillars. She took significant damage, and her body started to bleed all over.

"wHaT... iS... HaPpEnInG...? WhY... Am... I... bLeEdInG?"

Without giving any words, Hunar quickly charged towards Entoma, closing the distance within an instant.

 **SHHHUNT!**

Without mercy, Hunar impaled Entoma with his large curved sword.

"N-No... tHis cAn't bE... hAppEniNg..."

"Oh yes, it is happening. I thank you for giving me quite a fight"

"L-LoRd AiNz... pLeAsE FoRgIve mE..."

And so, Entoma has been slain.

After her last words, Entoma's body hung motionless on Hunar's sword. A few seconds later, her lifeless body turned into particles of light which dispersed away. A number of items were left behind right in front of Hunar's feet.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **CLICK!**

Hunar put his curved sword back into his back, once again forming what looked like a huge mohawk hair. A red vortex of energy then enveloped him, and soon Elder in his human form came out in place of his Hunar form. Elder then moved his body around, trying to feel if he had become stronger again.

"Not much"

Indeed Elder had become stronger after winning the battle, but the increase in his overall strength was not much compared to the amount he had gained before.

"Whatever. A gain is still a gain"

Elder took a glance at the things left behind by Entoma, and he turned away because they didn't draw his interest at all.

"It will be bad for me if that other intruder returns bringing reinforcements"

With that in mind, Elder teleported away using his red portal. He ended up right on the rooftop of the castle in the city, which was a nice vantage point. He had a hunch that those intruders would spark an interesting event soon, and he intended to wait and see what would happen next.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 21:13**

Mare had teleported to a rendezvous point agreed upon. Demiurge was also there, giving instructions to his Evil Lords.

"D-Demiurge-sama...!"

Demiurge looked at Mare, his sinister smile was there as always.

"I believe we are of the same standing, so there's no need to address each other formally. Nevertheless, is there something, Mare?"

"W-well, the thing is..."

Mare then told Demiurge about the raid on the mansion not going exactly as planned because the target he was supposed to capture was not there, and also about the strange man who stood unfazed in front of their presence.

"Have you confirmed the man's statement?"

"Y-yes, of course. I teleported to the roof and used detection magic. Nobody other than that man was left"

"I see. Too bad then. We still have one person we can use anyway, thanks to Sebas"

"Oh, R-right"

"Now, what about that man? Did you see anything strange?"

"R-right! I felt that he was a lot stronger than any other humans, but Entoma is still stronger than him"

"Entoma will probably devour him then. Anyway, your job there is done. Now proceed to the next part as planned"

"O-okay!"

Over one hour later, the demon vassals assigned with Entoma arrived at the rendezvous point. Demiurge smiled looking at the results of the raid. However, Entoma herself was not among them.

"I wonder..."

Demiurge then decided to go to the mansion to see what was happening. Just in case, he donned a sinister-looking blue mask in order to hide his face from any human that would happen to meet him.

[Greater Teleportation]

The teleportation spell brought Demiurge to the rooftop of the mansion. He looked around to see if Entoma was still around. This was the point where he noticed something at the front yard of the mansion.

There were three human figures, and they were examining something which seemed like a pile of items. Demiurge's keen eyes noticed familiar objects among the items, and one of them was Entoma's battle maid outfit.

A feeling of rage began building up inside Demiurge's mind.

Entoma had somehow been slain.

For Demiurge, it was a great failure on his part. He had miscalculated something in his plans, and Entoma had to pay the price of his mistake with her life.

It was simply...

Unforgivable.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 22:24**

The front gate of Hilma's mansion was quiet. There was nobody guarding it, which was highly unusual. Normally, the amount of private guards stationed here would rival the amount guarding the front gate of royal castle, but tonight this was the total opposite.

 **CRASH!**

The front gate opened violently with one strike. The one who had struck the gate was Gagaran, the huge warrior of Blue Rose adventurer team. She walked in, full of confidence in her abilities to complete her mission of raiding this mansion, which belonged to the Drug Trade Division of Eight Fingers.

However, her confidence turned into a feeling of wary as she noticed the unusual condition of the front yard. The yard was, to be short, in ruins. There were cracks and holes scattered over the paved ground, accompanied by remains of what seemed to be insect monsters.

"What's going on here?"

As Gagaran spoke the question out, another person came out from the shadows. This person was Tia, another member of Blue Rose. She had been hiding in case something which would require stealth came into play, but she decided to put that aside for now.

"There has been a battle here, and just recently"

"You think so, Tia? Not that I disagree, though"

"Thing is, between who?"

Before Gagaran could say anything, someone else answered from above.

"One thing for sure, they were stronger than you two"

Gagaran looked above. Her face expression was quite cheerful.

"Yo, Evileye!"

Tia, on the other hand, was not as cheerful. She asked a question as Evileye landed in front of her.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Well, the amount of destruction around here speaks volumes. Like that crater over there. I don't think Gagaran here can make a crater that large with one strike. Or can you?"

"Well I can, though I might tear a muscle or two doing that"

"Also, the remains of these insect monsters means that at least one of them is either a summoner specializing in vermin type, or a greater insect monster themselves with these ones under their command"

"Hoo, so what should we do now?"

Evileye looked at the mansion at the distance.

"The mansion is devoid of life. Either they have escaped, or killed by whoever fought here. The latter seems more likely"

"Woah, what about this fight? Was this an infighting, or did someone manage to put up a fight against the attacker?"

"I don't have the slightest idea for that matter. By the way... you have been silent. Is there something in your mind, Tia?"

Evileye looked at Tia, who indeed had not been saying anything.

"Ah, nothing. I'm just a little interested in that pile over there"

"You too, huh? Indeed, I feel some kind of magic energy from there. Let's take a look, but keep your guards up"

The three of them approached the suspicious pile of things lying on the ground. Upon closer look, they saw that all of the items in the pile were magic items. Evileye reached her hand into one of the items and examined it.

"I'm just telling from the magic energy I feel, but just this one could be worth at least fifty platinum"

Both Gagaran and Tia were a little surprised. Fifty platinum was not a small amount, though for Adamantite Rank adventurers like them it was not really a big deal either. However, if each of the items piled in front of them was at least worth that much, whoever owned all these items would be very powerful.

"Why are these items here on the ground?"

Without taking her eyes off the items, Evileye responded to Gagaran's question.

"I have no idea. The only explanation I can think of is that either the owner fled and dropped all these to lighten weight or... they have been slain and their body disintegrated, and these are their items left behind"

"I want to bet on the latter"

Tia said that as she looked at one particular item. A quite tidy maid clothes of strange design.

"Nobody in the right mind would bring maid clothes for no reason, so I assume the owner was wearing this"

Gagaran couldn't hide her confusion hearing Tia's words.

"What? This maid clothes?"

Evileye reached her hand to the maid clothes, and then she spoke.

"You shouldn't judge anything by looks alone. This clothes possesses higher protection power than your plate armor"

"What? Seriously?"

"Yes. Let's retreat for now. I'll explain on the wa-"

Suddenly, a masked man descended down from the sky and landed in front of them. All three of them knew that this man was definitely not human because he had a tail.

Evileye stepped back, closer to her two friends. Then she spoke to them in low voice, hoping that the man wouldn't hear her and find her words offensive.

"Look, whatever you do, don't say anything that will displease him. Let me do all the talking"

Gagaran and Tia didn't say any words, but they immediately understood. The man in front of them was leagues stronger and he could kill them instantly if he wanted to. Right now, it was still not confirmed if he was hostile, so if there was a chance to make it out alive by talking, however slim, they would take it.

"My poor, poor child..."

The man said it as he approached the pile of items. He then kneeled with one knee near the items and suddenly all the items disappeared into some kind of small portal. He then stood up again and looked at the three adventurers.

"Are you the ones responsible, for the demise of my child?"

"No, we just got here"

"I see... Do you have any idea about the one actually responsible?"

"Not in the slightest, unfortunately"

There was a silence for a few seconds, and the man looked angry beneath the mask as he spoke again.

"Then I will find out at all cost, even if I have to burn down the entire city"

Hearing the man's words, Gagaran suddenly spoke to object.

"Hold on a second! I can't agree to that!"

" _Idiot!"_

Evileye screamed that word inside her mind. Gagaran was her friend and teammate. They had been through thick and thin together. But there was no denying that the decision she had just made was far from the smartest.

"Nothing will stop me until I find the one responsible. I will eliminate anyone getting in my way. Starting from you three"

Then again, nobody would know the logic running inside this man's mind. Maybe all three of them had been doomed from the start.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 22:40**

Two magic casters descended down from the sky to a place they had been ordered to drop their passengers, whom they had been transporting using the combination of Fly and Floating Board spells. All the passengers were high-ranked adventurers whom Marquis Raeven had decided to hire to bolster the security of his residence.

At least that was the official description.

In truth, Marquis Raeven had hired them to help as additional powers in an important operation to raid various bases of Eight Fingers, in case the raid would be resisted by a significant force like Six Arms. The involved adventurers had been informed of the true intention on the way during the flight, and for now they had agreed.

However, things had gone off the rails.

Some circumstances had slowed them down, making them arrive a lot later than the planned time of raid operation. At worst case, they would be here for nothing and there was no confirmation whether they would still be paid or not in that case.

Also, two of the adventurers had jumped off the Floating Board midway.

Momon of Team Darkness and his partner Nabe had noticed a fighting at a place which was supposed to be one of the targets of the operation, so they had decided to join the fray. Before jumping off, the remaining three had been asked by Momon to stay with the transporter until they reach the destination, and they had complied to do so, but these ones were of lower rank than Darkness.

These three were Team Ignite Maximus, consisting of a seemingly foreign magic caster Ryu Seika, a cute-looking but really strong warrior girl Lily Vangraf, and another magic caster they had recently recruited into the team; Alice Vegelshaft.

"So, what are we supposed to do now?"

The magic casters, being Marquis Raeven's aides, had no idea how to answer Ryu's question which he asked as they got off the Floating Board. They arrived too late and as the result there was nobody else around.

But before anyone could say anything further, suddenly one aide noticed something at the corner of his vision: The night sky stained with blazing red color. The area they were at was surrounded by walls, so there was no clear view of what the cause could be. But anyone with common sense would guess a huge fire was there.

The three adventurers looked at the same direction after noticing the aide's strange behaviour. All three of them then floated high, trying to get a good look over the walls. Both aides were surprised on the fact that the warrior girl could also use Fly, but they knew they had to put that aside.

"Go inform the marquis. I will accompany them and stand by"

One aide said it, and the other aide nodded and immediately rushed away. As magic casters themselves, they could feel that the flame was the work of magic, one which was definitely beyond their capabilities. An emergency situation was imminent.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 22:38**

Elder, who was still on top of the roof of the castle, felt a little excited. His hunch was right.

One hour after his recent battle, he could sense a powerful being coming to the battleground. It was probably not the same as the one he had met, since the energy was different. Soon after, another powerful being came into play, and that ARKS person also came into the vicinity of this city.

"Multiple great powers gathering here. Interesting"

Elder pondered on which ones he should challenge into a fight first. While a losing battle would be a great excitement, repeated loss would eventually weaken him. A bad decision would become a setback in his quest for regaining power, and he would prefer not to have that.

"Hmm..."

Elder pondered for a few minutes, but suddenly something big happened in front of his eyes. A section of the city was encircled by a wall of fire. What was strange for him was the fact that the houses standing directly within the touch of the flames were not burning.

"Hoo..."

Elder waited a bit more, seeing if something more would happen. The wall of flames unfortunately disturbed his energy reading sense, but he still could make out the fact that numerous strange creatures appeared at the area within the circle of flames.

"If that one is relying on lesser creatures, then I will gladly do the same to join the fray!"

Elder raised his right hand and charged his dark energy. He then fisted the hand, creating a small explosion of energy. Soon, numerous blood-red portals of various sizes appeared throughout the area within the circle of flames.

Elder had summoned his Darker minions to wreak havoc indiscriminately.

"Hmph!"

Elder also transformed into his Hunar form, and he jumped off from the castle rooftop into the flaming area.

"This will be interesting!"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **And finally, Flame of Gehenna has been unleashed, this time with a third party joining the fray. One thing I feel the need to say that the initial battle between Jaldabaoth!Demiurge and Momon!Ainz, and also the dialogue afterwards still happened more or less the same way as canon, so I have put it 'offscreen'. Also yes, Tia and Gagaran still got killed here.**

 **Elder is now level 55, and Hunar is level 70**

 **See you again later.**


	40. Chapter 35: Hectic Situations

**Hi, all! Author here again.**

 **Well, it is late by a few days, but I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Congratulations for surviving through 2018, and may this year be another good year to live through.**

 **See you again in the afterword. Cliffhanger warning, by the way.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 22:47**

Demiurge felt the heavy weight of guilt clinging to his mind.

Narberal had just contacted him through [Message] spell, asking to confirm what his plan was about. He had replied truthfully, including the one result of his fatal mistake; Entoma's death.

Narberal definitely didn't sound happy at all. In fact, Demiurge could feel the overwhelming anger of Ainz, despite not directly talking to him.

Even someone as benevolent as Ainz would never forgive a mistake that resulted in the death of a Nazarick resident. In the case of Shalltear, Ainz had insisted that it had been his own fault, much to the disagreement of guardians, Demiurge included. However, this time the blame was fully on Demiurge himself, and he wouldn't deny it.

He would gladly accept any punishment for this fatal mistake. Death? That would be a mercy. Centuries of torture? He would gladly bear it, if it would help Ainz vent out his anger.

It was just one thing that Demiurge, and any other guardians, would never be able to bear.

Abandonment.

Being abandoned would mean the loss of purpose of his existence, and he would eventually go mad. In his madness, he would probably rampage across the world and likely ruin any other plans Ainz had.

And therefore, he had made a decision.

If abandonment would be his punishment, he would commit suicide on the spot to prevent himself from going mad and causing further damage to Ainz's plans. That would be his last act of loyalty towards the only Supreme Being who had not abandoned Nazarick. Other guardians would likely see his action as an escape from the consequences, but he believed that it would be the right thing to do.

But before then, he had to go on with the plan he had made.

He was determined to ensure the success of this plan, to prove himself and his capability, even though it likely wouldn't help to lighten his punishment later.

So far, his plan was going smoothly. He had activated [Flames of Gehenna] to surround the warehouse district of the city, and he had put demon minions summoned by his Evil Lords to do various jobs such as plundering wealth and goods, capturing civilians, and killing resistances as necessary. Later, Pandora's Actor and Shalltear would handle the transportation of those goods to Nazarick and all that was left would be playing the acts to raise the fame of Momon.

Unfortunately, despite the contingencies Demiurge had planned, the next thing happening had never came into his mind.

Suddenly, numerous amount of blood red energy vortexes of varying sizes appeared throughout the area. Within seconds, unknown monsters came out from all the vortexes, which apparently were portals. Smaller portals vomitted out smaller monsters, while larger ones vomitted out larger monsters. All the unknown monsters immediately went to attack everything on sight, humans and demons alike.

"What the hell is happening!?"

Demiurge gritted his teeth as he saw the things ongoing before his eyes. The unknown monsters were strong. He could see the demon minions falling like flies facing even the weakest looking ones. The chaos prompted the civilians to flee in all directions, causing even more chaos.

"Summon all the strongest demon minions as many as you possibly can!"

Demiurge gave the order to all the Evil Lords present in the area. All of them complied, summoning more powerful demon minions to the point of exhausting both their mana and daily usage limits.

"Have them exterminate the unknown monsters, or at least hold them off! We must not let those monsters interfere!"

The Evil Lords complied and gave the orders as instructed. However, after watching for a little moment Demiurge could see that while the demons could beat the smaller monsters, the larger ones were on par, or even stronger.

"Evil Lords. Retreat to Nazarick!"

While the Evil Lords were stronger than most of the Pleiades, Demiurge didn't want to risk another loss like Entoma. He had to assume that there was a monster far stronger than these invaders, one which could be strong enough to challenge even a Supreme Being. He had not made that assumption at the very beginning of this operation, and it had resulted in the death of a Pleiades.

Demiurge once again felt that he had made another failure. He had underestimated the power of the resistance he would meet.

No, to be exact, he had not made a contingency plan in the scenario of strong monsters invading his invasion operation. A Supreme Being like Ainz would have considered this kind of scenario happening and had a plan prepared for that. Demiurge had not, so he was a failure.

"Everything will fall apart at this rate..."

Indeed. At this rate, no civilians would be captured because they all would escape or get killed in the chaos. There would be no goods to transport to Nazarick because either the demons tasked with plundering would be dead or the goods themselves would get destroyed.

[Message]

"Pandora's Actor"

"Oh, if it isn't Demiurge! What's up, kamerad?"

"Listen up. The situation has turned to rock-bottom. Abort your mission. That includes everyone else in this operation"

"Oh, is it a SNAFU I hear? You better report this to Ainz-sama! Or would you like me to do it?"

"Please do, while I try to salvage what I can salvage from this operation"

"Viel Glück, kamerad! Don't overdo it!"

The Message spell ended, and Demiurge fell into silence for a few seconds.

[Aspect of The Devil – Razor Sharp Claw]

Demiurge decided to join the fray in person. Despite him being one of the weakest guardians in terms of combat ability, he still could easily slay the monsters with his Razor Sharp Claw.

Demiurge couldn't rule out the possibility that the man Mare and Entoma had encountered was the one behind all this. He was determined to find that man and give the worst punishment for spitting at the pride of Nazarick.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 22:45**

Ryu, Lily, and Alice were floating about ten meters above the ground. They were trying to get a good look on the tall flames engulfing the city. It didn't take long for them to notice that all the buildings within the flames still stood strong and were not burning.

"Liz, do you have any idea what that is?"

"Nope. I have never seen anything like that"

Ryu couldn't help worrying that the towering flames were a very bad sign. He had never seen a magic of this scale before.

"Lily, Liz. This might become our most dangerous battle ever. Please be careful"

"You too, Ryu-san!"

"Yeah, the same applies to you too"

"For now, let's wait and see how the officials respond to the situation"

The three of them then went back down to the ground. As they landed, the aide who had left before returned in a haste. The other aide who had been staying asked a question.

"Have you told the marquis? What did he say?"

"Yes, he told me to notify the Adventurer's Guild immediately"

"Then do so. Is there anything else?"

"Nothing. I'll get going immediately"

After saying that, the aide left by using Fly spell.

"Hey, what about us? Is there anything we should do?"

Ryu couldn't help asking that because there had not been any orders issued on his group. Granted, the current situation was a sudden, extraordinary event, which had never been part of the plan. But doing nothing while this disastrous event was taking place would be the worst thing to do.

"Uhh, there's no particular order for you so..."

The aide looked confused and undecided, and therefore Ryu made a decision.

"We will scout around the flames"

"No, please don't. We don't want you to risk your life unnecessarily"

"Hey, we are adventurers. We always risk our lives doing every job"

Ryu looked at Lily and Alice, and they both nodded.

"We will flee the moment we notice any danger"

After saying that, Ryu flew up and the other two followed. They flew closer to the area engulfed in flames, and they pretty much confirmed that the flames were not real because they didn't feel any heat at all. They could fly through the flames harmlessly if they wanted, though right now they couldn't see anything behind the flames.

"Do you think we should try going through the flames and look what's behind?"

"Wait a second"

Alice then casted a spell which Ryu didn't understand, but immediately she sighed.

"The magic energy of the flames is interfering, but I can sense a high number of monstrous beings"

"I see. I feel bad for the civilians there, but going inside there isn't a good idea if it's just the three of us"

"I suggest that we go around the flames and see if there are civilians who need help"

"You're right. Let's do that"

Indeed, right below them the civilians were running around in panic. The guards tried to guide them, but there was no evacuation point established yet, so they pretty much had no idea where to guide the panicking civilians. Ryu's group was no different in that matter, so there was nothing they could do.

"Look out!"

Ryu heard a scream below. When he looked, he saw a horse panicking and running around, almost trampling anyone coming across its path. It would be a matter of time until someone got trampled for real.

"Hmph!"

Alice dove down towards the horse and mounted it. The sudden mount agitated the horse even further, and it raised its front legs, neighing loudly. Alice tried her best to maintain her grip on the horse's harness, and thankfully she didn't fall off the horse.

[Exhaust]

Alice casted a spell with one hand. The horse suddenly calmed down with a heavy breath, looking exhausted. She then took full control of the horse and led it to the sideways. One guard hastily approached her as she did this.

"Thank you for calming the horse down. Let us take it from here"

Alice nodded and jumped off from the horse as two more guards approached to take care of the horse. Ryu and Lily came down from above at this time.

"Nicely done, Liz-san!"

"Yeah, nice job"

"Thanks, I guess"

Alice averted her eyes as she said it, and she seemed to be blushing.

Before they could talk any further, a different guard approached the group in a haste.

"E-Excuse me! Are you three adventurers?"

"Yes, we are. What's the matter?"

Ryu was the one answering.

"I'm here to deliver a message to all adventurers. The guild has ordered all available adventurers to assemble at Royal Palace for a strategy meeting"

"We're not from this city, so tell me one thing. The Royal Palace is that large one on the hill, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir"

"Alright then. We will head there"

"Thank you, sir!"

The guard then left the place to look for more adventurers. Ryu looked at Lily and Alice.

"Liz, are there many adventurers capable of using Fly spell?"

"As far as I know, no. It is a third tier spell after all, the pinnacle of the vast majority of magic casters"

"Then we can stand by and help around here for a while"

Lily and Alice nodded, getting what Ryu had said. Logically, it would take a while to notify all adventurers in town and have them gather in the appointed location. The three of them had the advantage of having access to Fly spell, so they could get there within minutes. Going there immediately would mean they had to wait around for a while until the adventurers arrived, and that would be a time spent meaninglessly.

But before any of them could speak further...

 **BOOM!**

A loud bang was heard coming from somewhere behind the wall of flames, immediately followed by a ground tremor. The tremor was not an earthquake, rather more like a vibration resulting from a massive impact to the ground, and from the sound of it, the impact was quite near.

"What's happening over there?"

"Look!"

Lily pointed to one road right in front of their position, on which the wall of flames stood tall. A bunch of humans ran out from it, scared out of their wits.

Ryu quickly flew towards the wall of flame and stopped while still floating at a medium distance from it with his Weddle Park rod readied, in case the civilians were chased by something. Both Lily and Alice followed, staying afloat beside him with their weapons ready.

"Can anyone tell me what is chasing you?"

Ryu shouted, taking his chance to hopefully obtain some information from the fleeing civilians running below him.

There was one answer, which Ryu heard without looking at the one shouting.

"Demons! They are fighting each other!"

 _What?_

That one answer only served to raise a question in Ryu's mind, the same with the other two in his group. Could that mean that there was an infighting over there?

Soon, they got an answer.

A monster came out from the flames. It was at least three or four meters tall, with bloated green body and gross-looking head. Also, there were weird marks all over its body, looking like human faces.

"Overeating. If it devours you, your face becomes another addition to its mark collection"

Alice spoke out the name of the monster and a short explanation. But before they could begin doing any action, something happened. Another monster, slightly larger than the Overeating, emerged from the flames at a height and dive-smashed the Overeating with a huge bludgeon weapon.

 **BOOM!**

The sound was similar to the one they had just heard before. The downward strike was so powerful, the fleeing civilians were tripped by the resulting tremor, and the Overeating was reduced into a literal bloody mess after spattering blood all over. Thankfully, Alice had casted some kind of barrier spell, preventing the group and the civilians behind them from getting dirtied. The road and the buildings around were not so lucky, though.

The new monster was more humanlike in terms of body shape, except that its head was horizontally wide oval shape with spikes protruding in a straight line across the span of the head. In addition, there was only one large, swirly, fire-red eye on the face and nothing else. No mouth, nose, or ears to speak of. Its right arm held the bludgeon weapon which was as long as it was tall, around four or five meters. On closer inspection, the bludgeon weapon was actually its right arm all along.

"What is that? I have never seen anything like that"

Alice had no idea what the monster was.

"Oh, no"

"You know it, Ryu-san? Don't tell me..."

"Yes..."

Ryu knew the monster very well.

"It's a Darker. A Kuklonahda"

"Okay, so what's the weakpoint? That huge eye?"

Before Ryu could answer the question, the Kuklonahda turned around and walked back into the flame, disappearing from sight.

"It retreated?"

Ryu didn't reply to Alice's remark. He had just realized something very horrible. His face began to turn pale as Alice looked at him.

"Hey, Ryu-san. What's the matter? You look really pale. Can you explain to me and Lily?"

It took Ryu a few seconds until he began explaining.

"Darkers... They are by nature berserk creatures which attack any non-Darker creatures on sight"

"But that one didn't. What does that mean?"

"That means it was under command, which also means that there is a leader behind the flames. A Dark Falz"

"Not gonna ask what a Dark Falz is. How strong is one?"

"I pretty much have little to no chance alone if they are at their prime"

Alice didn't say anything after hearing Ryu's answer. Ryu himself had no idea what to do, now that it was pretty much confirmed that there was a Dark Falz somewhere behind the wall of flames.

"Eh? What?"

Lily suddenly spoke, slightly surprising the other two.

"What's the matter, Lily?"

"Someone is calling me with that messaging spell"

Lily then began listening to whoever called her. She didn't speak any reply other than some occasional nods. It took about ten seconds until she seemed to be finished.

"Who was that?"

"It was Nabe. Momon is requesting us to meet him at the Royal Palace immediately"

"I see. Let's get going then"

Ryu looked at both Lily and Alice, who nodded in response. All three of them then flew towards the Royal Palace. Ryu, being the only one of the three who knew that Momon and Ainz were the same person, hoped that Ainz would provide assistance against the ongoing threat.

"By the way, Ryu-san"

"Yes, Liz?"

"Why did they call Lily instead of calling you directly?"

"I don't know the cause, but Ainz-dono once told me that Message spell, for some reason, never works on me"

"Hmm..."

Ryu felt a little uneasy seeing Alice's deep thinking. He began to worry that he had said something wrong.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 22:51**

Ainz, currently still being Momon, was filled with rage. His passive trait of suppressing emotion still worked, but his rage kept filling up again after getting suppressed.

 _Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Who had killed Entoma!?_

From his short conversation with Demiurge, who had been disguising himself as Jaldabaoth, Ainz had learned that Entoma had been killed by someone during her mission. After Jaldabaoth escaped, his further conversation with the Adamantite Rank adventurer Evileye had not given him any more info other than confirming that it had not been her group who had killed Entoma. Nabe had not obtained any further info after contacting Demiurge either, so the murderer was getting away with it at this rate.

The cost of reviving Entoma would be just a speck of dust compared to the wealth of Nazarick Treasury, but the fact still remained that someone had stepped on the pride of Nazarick by killing one of its residents. They didn't even take her items, which meant she had not been worth looting for them. For Ainz, that was a major disgrace.

Right now, both him and Nabe were at the courtyard of Royal Palace after accompanying Blue Rose members in delivering the dead bodies of their two members. He had been requested to wait until adventurers came to begin a strategy meeting, but he had become impatient. He wanted to exact retribution to whoever had killed Entoma.

"Momon-san, is there anything I can do for you?"

Ainz looked at Nabe. Her face seemed calm, but Ainz knew that deep down she was raging like himself. Entoma was her sister, so it was natural that she would be as angry as him, if not more. Ainz wanted to ensure her again that the murderer would pay dearly for what they had done, but someone might overhear them so he couldn't say that.

"Just keep yourself prepared. I assure you, we will get the one who has done this"

Nabe bowed her head after hearing Ainz's words.

"Understood, Momon-san"

 _I sure hope she caught what I actually meant._

 **BEEP! BEEP!**

Suddenly Ainz heard the notification of [Message]. Receiving it here would be risky, but none of Nazarick residents would contact him at this time unless absolutely necessary.

 _I will risk it. This better be important._

"Nabe, talk to me about some random topic"

Ainz spoke in low voice while making a hand gesture to Nabe, trying to tell her that he was receiving a [Message]. Nabe nodded and began talking while Ainz picked up the [Message].

"Ainz-sama!"

 _Pandora's Actor?_

"Hmm..."

Ainz still couldn't speak freely since he might accidentally leak some information out, so his option was only simple short responses.

"It is unfortunate, but I have bad news!"

 _What now!?_

"Oh..."

"A group of strong unknown monsters appeared in Flame of Gehenna and is decimating our demon army. Demiurge had ordered me to abort my task, and I feel the need to report this"

 _Say what!?_

"I see"

"Right now Demiurge is trying to salvage the operation, but I'm afraid we must abort the operation entirely at this rate"

 _You better! Prioritize your survival!_

"Alright"

"That is all I can report. I will retreat and remain on standby! Viel Glück, Ainz-sama!"

The [Message] ended, but immediately...

 **BEEP! BEEP!**

 _Again!?_

Nabe was still talking to cover him, so Ainz picked the [Message] up immediately.

"Ainz-sama"

It took a few seconds for Ainz to realize that this time the one calling was the Kashin Koji spy inside Lily's body.

"Yes"

"Just now, a monster from Ryu's origin, a Darker, appeared. It killed an Overeating in one hit"

 _Say what!?_

"I see"

"In addition, according to what Ryu said just one second ago, there is a leader. A Dark Falz"

Hearing the last words, a memory was stirred up inside Ainz's mind. He had seen the image of a Dark Falz way back when he had tried looking at Ryu's memory. That giant, many pairs of arms, abomination of a creature would be a major threat to Nazarick. And now a creature of the same kind was nearby.

Ainz ended the [Message] immediately and looked at Nabe.

"Call Lily with Message. I need Ryu to be here as soon as possible"

At this point, Ainz had decided to stop caring about being overheard. Without prompt actions, destruction would spread like wildfire, and there would be no use building reputation if there was no living people praising him. One thing he still felt the need to maintain was the secret of Momon and Ainz being the same person. So far, the only ones outside Nazarick who knew about this secret was Nfirea Bareae and Ryu. Ainz wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Nabe nodded and began using [Message] spell.

"Lily, listen up. This is Nabe. Momon needs Ryu to meet him immediately. Find us at the Royal Palace"

Three minutes later, Ryu came with both Lily and Alice. They landed right in front of Ainz, who could immediately notice that Ryu looked really worried.

"Thank you for coming, Ryu. I will get to the point immediately. As you have already seen, a large part of the city is surrounded by magical flames. That is the work of a demon, Jaldabaoth. I had a short fight with him before he fled, and from that I learned his objective was to find a certain item, and also to find whoever responsible for killing one of his subordinates"

Ainz paused for a short moment before continuing.

"Did you learn any information outside what I've said while we were not together?"

Ryu seemed to hesitate, but he began speaking soon enough.

"Yes, actually. Monsters from my origin, namely Darkers, have joined the fray inside the wall of flames. We have just seen one Darker killing a... what was the name, Overeater? Anyway, that happened right before Nabe-dono called us"

"I see"

"Though I'm afraid there's something worse. The Darker looked at us for a bit and then walked away. Normally that doesn't happen because Darkers are naturally berserk and will attack any non-Darker creatures on sight. That means it was under the command of a leader. A Dark Falz is also inside the flames"

"That sounds bad"

"My chance of winning against one is not good. Therefore I would like to request assistance if possible"

Ainz folded his arms and fell into deep thought. Right now he was in the effect of [Perfect Warrior] spell, making him pretty much a half-baked level 100 warrior on YGGDRASIL scale. His options were limited because his mana was near zero as the side effect of the spell, so reverting the spell would make him pretty much useless for a while.

At this time, someone else came into the scene.

"Momon-san. I'm going to- Wait, who are these people?"

The one who just came was Evileye. It seemed that she had finished delivering the bodies of her two partners for resurrection.

"They are adventurers who came with me from E-Rantel. I can vouch for their capabilities"

"Ah, you don't need to vouch for anything. But if Momon-san said so..."

Evileye acted a little strange for a moment, seemingly shy or something. Ainz didn't really get her behavior, and he didn't want to care since there was a more important matter.

"Anyway, Momon-san, I'm going to scout the flames for the strategy meeting"

"No, you don't need to. They have done it, and the matter is turning out worse than we thought"

"What?"

Evileye naturally looked surprised. Momon then explained about the presence of Darkers and the very likely possibility of a Dark Falz being present in the area.

"Darkers? Dark Falz? I have never heard of any of that"

"I have, and they are highly dangerous"

"If even Momon-san says they are dangerous, does that mean this city is doomed?"

Ainz could feel that Evileye was worried behind her mask.

"No, I have a plan. Listen up"

Everyone on the scene focused their attention at Ainz.

"Jaldabaoth's objective was to search for an item. On the other hand, Darkers are a force of indiscriminate destruction, putting aside the Dark Falz for now. If left alone, they might end up destroying the item Jaldabaoth was searching for"

Evileye seemed to realize something.

"Are you saying that the plan is to ally with Jaldabaoth?"

"Correct"

"I can't agree with this! He has killed my friends and who knows how many innocent civilians down there!"

Evileye, who had been calm and collected so far, had lost her calm upon hearing the proposal of allying with Jaldabaoth.

"Your emotions have clouded your judgement. Of course, the ideal scenario would be if both Jaldabaoth and the Dark Falz are eliminated. But if you can only choose one to eliminate, which one would you choose?"

Evileye was speechless hearing Ainz's words.

"While not certain, I feel that we still can reason with Jaldabaoth. But I can't say the same for a Dark Falz. Therefore, this is the best course of action we have. In addition, it is quite likely that the one who has killed Jaldabaoth's subordinate is the Dark Falz, so we have a better chance forming a temporary alliance with Jaldabaoth"

"Alright, if you say so"

Evileye looked a little unhappy, but she seemed to accept the proposed plan.

"So, Momon-san. Do you need help from us? Or other adventurers?"

Ainz looked at Ryu after hearing Evileye's question.

"Before answering that, I need to ask some questions to you, Ryu"

"Yes?"

"Do you have any idea about the Dark Falz behind this invasion? What does he look like?"

"Well, the one Darker I saw was among the aquatic type, so it is likely Elder. He is probably in his Falz Hunar form, which is a four meter tall armored humanoid. The easiest way to recognize him is his very large curved sword, which... Lily, come here for a second"

Lily looked confused, but she approached Ryu anyway. Ryu then stood behind her and made a hand gesture above Lily's head.

"When sheathed, the swords go behind his head and back like this. Kinda easy to dismiss it as part of the armor because its color is similar. I'm telling you this detail because he likes fighting bare-handed with punches and kicks rather than with his sword"

 _Like a huge mohawk hair, huh?_

Lily seemed to realize something, and then she asked a question to Ryu.

"Uhh, Ryu-san. Sorry for asking, but I wonder if he is what you saw me as when we were trapped in the illusion spell back then"

"Yes, Lily. That illusion spell made me see you as Falz Hunar, but let's focus on the more important matter"

"Right, sorry"

Momon then asked another question.

"It seems the Darkers, or the Dark Falz, chose to stay within the flames. Do you have any idea why?"

"Well, long story short, he likes to battle. Maybe he thinks the demon's minions are more worth fighting than the humans outside?"

"So as long as Jaldabaoth and his minions are there, the Dark Falz and Darkers will stay there too"

"Hopefully"

Momon then looked at Evileye.

"I want every other adventurers to focus their effort on evacuating the civilians as far as possible from the flames and stay away from the Darkers. I know some won't be satisfied, but Darkers are a whole different level of monsters. I judge that anyone weaker than you, Evileye, will perish easily"

"Alright, but at least let me come with you"

"No. Listen up. Your team is probably the only one who can put up a fight against Darkers. We need you to stay behind in case some stray ones leak out and attack the evacuating civilians"

"Alright then"

"We depart immediately. Who knows how long Jaldabaoth can hold them off"

 _Demiurge should be able to slay the Darkers, but there's still no information about the strength of the Dark Falz. I have to go there and make sure he is alright. If only we're not in front of people here, I could have Narberal contact Demiurge, but oh well..._

Nabe then used [Fly] and lifted Ainz along with her. Ryu, Lily, and Alice also followed, flying behind. Ainz went into deep thought on the way towards the flames.

 _Alright, the plan I have to keep secret is to get into contact with Demiurge and tell him to fight together with me while playing his role as Jaldabaoth. In the worst case scenario where the Dark Falz is too strong, I can order him to evacuate us all back to Nazarick and regroup. I will end up blowing my cover, but at least everyone will survive. Then again, Ryu and Lily have seen Demiurge back in Nazarick, so they probably will see through his thin disguise and complicate things. But what choice do I have?_

 **BEEP! BEEP!**

 _What?_

Ainz was a little startled by the [Message] notification. He took a glance at Ryu's group to make sure they were far enough to not hear anything, and then he picked up.

"Ainz-sama"

"Albedo? Is there something happening?"

"This is bad news, Ainz-sama"

"What is it?"

There was a silence for a few seconds.

"Demiurge has rebelled..."

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Every plans have gone down to oblivion. What has happened to Demiurge? How will Ainz go through this matter without putting his cover in jeopardy? Will this chaos take another casualty from Nazarick? Find out in the next chapter of Overlord Phantasy!**

 **...**

 **It felt lame and embarrassing. Not gonna do that again.**

 **Nevertheless, Happy New Year once again, and see you later.**


	41. Chapter 36: Emergency! Code: Rescue!

**Hi, all. We meet again.**

 **Just an info, I have updated the bestiary gallery linked in my profile. If any of you would like more visual on various things, it is available for you.**

 **See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 23:04**

[Aspect of The Devil – Hellfire Mantle]

A large pillar of flame erupted below and around Demiurge, burning all the unknown monsters around him. They were killed instantly, and their bodies disintegrated into red smoke.

[Aspect of The Devil – Archdemon's Wrist]

Demiurge's right arm became significantly enlarged and armored. He then used it as a bludgeon weapon against the unknown monsters. The smaller ones were killed in one hit, and the larger ones were quickly bludgeoned and crushed to death. His carnage with the enlarged arm lasted for half a minute, killing a lot of the monsters. The dead bodies of the monsters piled up around him as he advanced.

[Aspect of The Devil – Tentacle Wings]

Demiurge's arm returned to normal, and immediately a pair of large sinister wings sprouted from his back. Using the wings, he flew to a height and then he rained sharp feathers to the monsters below. Most of the monsters were punctured to death by the feathers. The streets were littered with the bodies of the monsters as the result.

Demiurge returned to the ground, putting his wings away and taking a deep breath.

 _It seems I have managed to clear this part of the area._

Indeed, there were no more of the unknown monsters alive around him. But he still could sense the heat of battle at further distance.

 _I should go there and kill some more... Wait..._

Demiurge questioned his own thoughts. His objective was not exactly to kill the unknown monsters, but to find the mastermind behind this interruption and then kill that person.

 _Wait... No._

He questioned his own thoughts again. He never wanted to kill the mastermind. That would be too merciful. What he should do was to capture them and then kill...

 _No! That's not it._

It didn't take long until Demiurge realized that something was wrong with himself.

 _Why am I craving for killings? Don't tell me...!_

Demiurge took another deep breath, trying to focus his mind. However, he still craved for more violence and killings, and that craving didn't subside at all. Instead, it gradually became worse.

 _Impossible! I'm getting mind controlled!?_

Demiurge couldn't believe what was happening to him. He was supposed to be immune to any mind control effect, and unlike Shalltear, he had a World Item with him, so not even a World Item would be able to mind-control him. Even if somehow there was a method to pierce through all his defenses against mind-related magic, he should have been able to sense the traces of the magic, however small. But none of those things appeared at all.

 _Should I retreat to Nazarick?_

Demiurge considered that option, but he decided to avoid that option. He couldn't rule out the possibility that this mind control was contagious, and even if it was not, going berserk inside Nazarick would cause unnecessary damage and maybe even casualties.

 _Should I kill myself before I completely lose myself?_

That option was also a no go for Demiurge. If he died, he would drop all the items in his possession, including the World Item. That would be a great loss to Nazarick, and it still didn't include the cost of resurrecting him if Ainz was benevolent enough to give him mercy and second chance.

 _I can't... I must... kill... No!_

[Aspect of The Devil – Hellfire Mantle]

Demiurge casted his flame pillar spell, burning the empty space around him and also the dead bodies of the unknown monsters around him. He had done that hoping that his action would vent out the craving and make it subside, even though he knew this would likely be futile.

And it somewhat worked, much to his surprise.

His cravings didn't subside, but the gradual worsening stopped. However, he was a little too late. At this point, his mind was already in limbo, drifting between being able to control his actions and becoming merely a voice in his own head.

 _Ainz-sama... I don't deserve mercy... But... Forgive me..._

[Aspect of The Devil – Razor Sharp Claw]

Demiurge converted his hands into long claws again. His eyes were glowing red behind the mask and spectacles.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 23:05**

"Are you sure about that?"

Ainz, while still being Momon and carried by Narberal, was shocked by the news, but he had already had enough things falling apart, that he couldn't feel that shocked anymore at this point.

"Ainz-sama, there is actually something strange, unlike how it happened to Shalltear"

"Explain"

"Right now I am looking a the name list, and Demiurge's name is flickering between grey and white"

What Albedo had just said was more shocking. He had not seen such event in person, even in his YGGDRASIL days. But he could deduce that the flickering name meant whatever was mind-controlling Demiurge was still in the process. If he could reach Demiurge in time, he might be able to prevent the mind control and save Demiurge.

Still, Ainz had a big question in his mind. Demiurge was supposed to be immune to mind control, and he also had a World Class Item, so there should be nothing able to do that to him. While the possibility was not zero, not even those who had mind-controlled Shalltear would dare entering this battlefield filled with demons and Darkers.

The most likely explanation was that Darkers had the capability of mind control, and with a method unlike anything in either YGGDRASIL or this world.

 _Oh wait! Don't tell me this is the effect of Darker essence Ryu had once told me!?_

"Update me if the flickering shows any changes"

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

The [Message] spell ended.

"Nabe, get closer to Ryu's group"

Narberal slowed down a bit, allowing her and Ainz to be closer to Ryu's group following behind.

"Ryu, is there anything you haven't told us about Darkers? Like a weakpoint or a particular method to kill them?"

Ryu looked a little surprised upon hearing Ainz's question.

"Oh no, I forgot to tell Evileye back there"

"Nabe will use [Message] to tell her. So just tell us now"

"In short, you have to kill them with arcane magic or weapon heavily coated in damaging enchantment. The latter is not guaranteed"

"What happens if they are not killed correctly?"

"Their dead bodies will remain on the field and spread their essence like spores. Anyone infected by those will gradually go berserk"

 _That's it! I have screwed up!_

Ainz had just realized his own fatal mistake. Ryu had actually told him about that piece of information. However, back then he had been too excited on learning the Photon Arts and Photon Techs, thus forgetting to distribute the information to all guardians. He had screwed up big time, and now Demiurge was in grave danger thanks to that mistake. Demiurge was indeed immune to mind control done through magic and item effect, but there was nothing defending him from actual parasitic infection which rewired the brain into constant cravings for violence.

"Everyone, we land now! I need a quick strategy meeting!"

Everyone then landed on the streets. The wall of flames was within a stone throw's distance from their position, and there were nobody around because the civilians had been evacuated.

"Ryu, if someone gets infected, can they still be cured?"

"Yes, but... they might die in the process"

"Explain the method as brief as you can"

"Beat the infected one into submission with photon energy to flush out the infection. Magic that deals damage should also work"

"So when you say dying in the process..."

"Yes, the infected one has to be strong enough to survive all the beatings involved"

Ainz went into deep thought. Ryu's answer meant that they probably would have to fight Demiurge. While not the strongest, Demiurge was still one of the Floor Guardians who should not be taken lightly. Among the group, only Ainz himself and maybe Ryu could fight him toe to toe.

Ainz didn't want to waste time because Demiurge was getting more and more infected as time passed. However, he also didn't want to rush things and risk making everything worse. He has had enough of making big mistakes out of ignorance.

"Ryu, is there something to prevent us from getting infected ourselves?"

Ryu then somehow produced some objects out of thin air. The objects were as big as tablet devices and shaped like such, but they had no screen. He then gave everyone one of those.

"Put it on your arm like this"

Ryu made a gesture, demonstrating on how to use the objects. Everyone did as instructed, and the object floated right on the back of their wrist, then disappeared. Ainz tried touching the spot the object was used to be, but there was nothing there. Ainz looked at Ryu, who somewhat looked relieved.

"What was that, Ryu?"

"Photon armor. They envelop you in energy shield which should repel the Darker particles"

"How do I take it off?"

"Pull it out from that spot, fully intending to remove it"

Ryu demonstrated the method as he spoke, and he pulled something from his own wrist. Ainz tried the same, and indeed the object came out from his wrist. At this point Ainz noticed that Ryu's armor device seemed more advanced and much better than the one Ainz had. Ryu put the device back on, and Ainz did the same.

"If there are Darker dead bodies there, can they be eliminated?"

"Yes, with the same method to kill them correctly"

"Alright, we need to be prepared. Jaldabaoth down there might be infected already, so we may need to fight him and hopefully cure him before we confront the Dark Falz. Let's define our roles"

Ainz cleared his throat and continued speaking.

"Nabe, you will use [Fly] to hover above us as we advance and keep your eyes open. Eradicate all Darkers on sight, dead bodies or living ones, with your magic. Also, relay the information we just got to Evileye"

"Yes, Momon-san"

Ainz then looked at Ryu while Narberal began contacting Evileye with [Message].

"Ryu, you're the most knowledgeable about Darkers among us. Inform us about each Darker we encounter, especially their weaknesses"

"Sure"

"My swords here are just normal swords, so I don't think I can kill Darkers properly. I have a magic weapon in store, but I need to save it to fight Jaldabaoth in the case he is really infected. Cover me until then"

"Right"

"Forgive me if I sound rude, but are you confident in the strength of your two partners against the enemies we are about to face?"

Ryu looked at his two partners, who nodded in response. He then looked at Ainz again.

"They are prepared for this"

"Alright then. We should not waste any more time. Let's go!"

Ainz then ran into the Flames of Gehenna. His running speed was very fast thanks to the increased physical abilities from [Perfect Warrior]. Ryu's group followed him by using [Fly] at low altitude, and Narberal was higher up as planned.

Right after going through the flames, what they all saw was a very unpleasant sight. Dead bodies of humans and demon minions were everywhere on the streets, as well as some monsters Ainz couldn't recognize, which were probably Darkers. The bodies of the humans and demon minions were at horrible conditions, as if they had been turned inside out. Any normal person would puke at the sight.

Narberal casted various arcane spells on the Darker bodies, and indeed the bodies disintegrated into smoke. The advance continued for a short moment, until Ainz noticed three large insect-like monsters ahead. He recognized them as the same kind which he had killed back then at Carne Village.

"El Ahda! Stomach core! Fire element!"

Ryu shouted. His words were concise, and indeed that was all Ainz needed.

"Hmph!"

Ainz slashed one closest El Ahda with his sword, cutting it into two and killing it instantly. The dead body didn't disintegrate, confirming that Ainz couldn't kill Darkers properly with only his swords. He wanted to slash the other two as well, but he stopped to observe how Ryu's group would handle the Darkers.

Ainz saw Lily approaching one El Ahda, running while wielding both her swords backhand.

"Symphonic Drive!"

She then did a jump, which transitioned into a diving kick using her left leg. The kick landed right at the El Ahda's stomach core, and then she followed up by launching herself away with a straight kick from her other leg. During the whole move, her legs were covered in blue energy which caused a small explosion with each hit. The El Ahda was killed with that move, and its dead body disintegrated.

 _Photon Art? So Ryu taught Lily too. That means..._

Ainz looked at the remaining El Ahda. Alice had her eyes on that one, and Ainz's eyes were on Alice.

"Foie!"

A fireball came out from her staff weapon and struck the El Ahda, killing it in one hit and disintegrating the dead body.

 _Yup, he also gave some to Alice._

Still, there was one thing bugging Ainz's mind. The Darkers he had just faced were quite weaker than he had been expecting. Even with Photon Art and Photon Tech, someone in the level of Lily and Alice should not be able to one-shot a Darker if the Darkers were as strong as Ryu had been implying.

Before Ainz could think further, the dead body of the El Ahda next to him was struck by lightning from above. Narberal had just done it as instructed.

"Alright, let's continue the advance"

Ainz decided to save his questions for later when the situation would be less dire. Right now he was pressed on time, so stopping just to ask a curious question would be just a waste.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ryu was pretty confused.

The three El Ahda slain just now had been merely Tier H which he could beat easily. But the Kuklonahda which he had seen before had been Tier VH. Normally all Darkers within an area would have the same tier of power, and Ryu had never seen any exception to that principle before today. He began wondering why it happened, and various possible cause for that to happen.

"Alright, let's continue the advance"

Ryu couldn't think further because Momon had just commanded everyone to continue advancing. So he decided to quickly give a word of warning.

"Momon-dono. Be careful. The power discrepancy between Darkers here is high. The three we just fought are a lot weaker than the one I saw before"

"Noted"

Momon nodded while saying that reply, and the group continued advancing in the same formation as before.

"Nabe! Have you located Demi-Jaldabaoth?"

Momon shouted to Nabe, who was flying at higher altitude.

"I detect a high magic energy straight ahead about 300 meters!"

"Darkers ahead!"

Ryu heard Lily's warning and quickly indentified the Darkers ahead which were another two El Ahda of Tier H, and along with them was a Krabahda, a crab-like Darker with the size of a juvenile elephant. Its weakpoint was the large core right in the center of its forehead. Ryu also could see through his interface that the Krabahda was Tier VH.

"Krabahda! Forehead core! Thunder element! It's much stronger than the two El Ahda! Be careful!"

"Then leave it to me!"

Momon immediately charged at the Krabahda and did a vertical slash at its forehead core. It was a hit, but the Krabahda was still alive. It then immediately cupped itself within its big pincers, effectively shielding its core. Right at this time, the two El Ahda were slain by Alice and Lily using the same method as before.

[Lightning]

Nabe casted a spell from above, hitting the Krabahda. The literal shock from the lightning element spell startled the Krabahda, causing it to flip over and twitch helplessly. Momon didn't miss the chance, going for a direct stab to the core. It was a direct hit and the Krabahda was slain. Its body didn't disintegrate, but Nabe immediately casted another [Lightning] on the dead body, and it disintegrated into smoke.

"Alright, we're almost there. Let's go!"

Momon said that, commanding everyone to resume advancing.

"Wait, Momon-san!"

However, Nabe shouted as she descended down to the ground.

"What is it, Nabe? We don't have much time. Dem-Jaldabaoth might get infected as we waste time"

"I detected a strange energy behind that corner"

Nabe pointed at an alleyway to the right not far ahead.

"An ambush? Ryu, do you know what it is?"

"I don't have visual, so no. I do detect something there, though"

"Let's approach carefully then"

However, before the group began their approach, something came out from the corner. It was a strange red vortex which was floating and moving straight towards the group. To be exact, towards Ryu.

"Oh no. Get away from me!"

Ryu knew what the vortex was, so he told everyone else to move away from him. But seemingly confused, nobody moved, and in that split second the vortex shot out tentacles of dark energy right at Ryu.

"Ryu-san! Look out!"

At the last moment, Lily jumped right in front of Ryu, shielding him from the attack. The tentacles grabbed Lily, and then they quickly pulled her into the vortex.

"Aaaah!"

"Lily! No!"

Both the vortex and Lily disappeared after that, leaving the group dumbfounded. Everyone else were surprised by what had just happened. Momon immediately looked at Ryu and spoke. Despite being fully covered in armor, anyone could tell that he was very flustered.

"Ryu! What was that? What has happened to Lily!? Tell me!"

"It was a Funji, a Darker device made to kidnap people"

"So where is Lily now!?"

"The Funji will bring the captive somewhere not too far from here, morph into a dome cage, and spawn Darkers inside to devour the captive"

Ryu tried to remain calm as he explained, but he was actually very panicked just like Momon. He had intended to get kidnapped himself to let the Funji vortex morph, break the dome cage from within, and rejoin the others. He knew he was strong enough to do that rather easily, but he had not had enough time to explain it, and as the result the situation had become really bad.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Ugh... Come on! What to do, what to do!?_

Ainz was overwhelmed with all the things going on. Demiurge's location was already close, but now suddenly one member of the group got abducted by the enemy. Normally, when something like this happened he would continue his mission and regard the event as the victim's fault for not being careful. However, this time the victim was Lily, a fellow resident of Nazarick. Even though Lily was made merely out of necessity, the fact still remained that she was an NPC created by himself, and Ainz never went back on his words that Lily was one of his children.

"Momon-dono, go ahead without me. I will go rescue Lily"

Ryu said that before Ainz had any chance to think thoroughly. Therefore he made a quick decision based on the fact that Demiurge can still be resurrected although expensive, while Lily would be gone forever if she got killed, and like it or not, Ainz had to admit that he had begun to care for Lily more than he had been supposed to.

"No. We all go together with you. In this kind of battlefield splitting up is a bad idea"

"But aren't I going to delay the mission?"

"Look, Ryu. Dem-Jaldabaoth is strong. He won't get infected easily. And if he becomes hostile regardless, we need all the help we can get"

"Thank you, Momon-dono"

"Now, we need to locate the cage as fast as possible"

"It's two hundred meters that way"

Ryu said that while pointing to a direction, with some holographic interface floating near his other hand. This surprised Ainz.

"What? How did you know?"

"I have this... magic, which can track significant Darker objects. According to this, there is a something there with the same readings as the Funji we saw"

 _Another ARKS technology?_

"I'm curious now, but we don't have time. Lead the way, Ryu"

Ryu then flew towards the direction he had pointed. Alice followed him, and finally Narberal while carrying Ainz. Ainz then spoke to Narberal in low voice.

"Contact Yuri and CZ and tell them to prepare for battle. Anyone else from Nazarick who are still around this area should retreat and remain on standby"

"Alright, Ai...Momon-san"

The main reason for choosing those two was because they were the only other Nazarick residents who had been taught Photon Arts, so they were the most suitable for fighting against Darkers and perhaps the Dark Falz as well. This would put them at risk, but Ainz believed that he couldn't always rely on Ryu to combat Darkers effectively. He also needed to test their strength against genuine Darker enemies.

 _My cover will be in jeopardy at this rate, but if it is only Alice and Lily I might still able to keep them in control._

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **WHOOSH!**

 **THUD!**

As quickly as they had grabbed her, the red tentacles let go of Lily, throwing her across the ground. Lily quickly stood up, and the first thing she saw was a group of monsters in the shape of round fish. In addition, she was trapped in some kind of dome cage of about six meters radius made of red vein-like energy. In short, she was trapped in a small area and surrounded by a bunch of monsters.

The monsters surrounding her were all the same, though only a few were as large as a horse. The rest were roughly half that size. Lily remembered what Ryu had said some time ago and concluded that these fish monsters were Dahgash and Dagacha, which are Darkers.

Lily unsheathed both her swords and held them backhand, preparing to use a Photon Art. She remembered that the weakpoint of these Darkers was their forehead, so she intended to strike that point.

"Symphonic Drive!"

Lily did the 2-step kick Photon Art, hitting a nearby Dagacha straight on its forehead. It staggered, but it was still alive.

 **HISSSS!**

All other fish Darkers roared with strange voice. Lily suddenly felt something in her mind, a feeling of dread which instilled a great fear. The fish Darkers then began chomping wildly as they advanced towards Lily from all sides. At that moment her instinct screamed to get the hell out of there. But she couldn't because of the dome cage.

 **CHOMP! CHOMP!**

The fishes chomped at the spot where Lily had been, but they were only chomping at thin air. Lily had jumped up and put a little distance from the group of chomping fishes. But the fact remained that she couldn't get far thanks to the dome cage. She leaned to the cage wall in hope of not getting attacked from behind.

Lily then decided to use a Photon Art which would cover an area.

"Bloody Sarabande!"

Lily did a slash with one sword which shot out an energy wave towards the Darkers, then she immediately followed up with a slash with the other sword which also shot out an energy wave, and finally she did a crossing slash with both swords, which shot out an 'X' shaped energy wave. All the energy waves hit the Darkers, staggering them. However, only one of the smaller ones died and disintegrated, probably the one Lily had attacked with Symphonic Drive.

 **HISSSS!**

The fish Darkers roared again, and Lily was pretty much cornered.

"Lily!"

Suddenly Lily heard a very familiar voice.

"Ryu-san!"

"We will break the cage! Hold out until then!"

"Yes, Ryu-san!"

Lily could notice that the cage was being struck by various attacks from the outside. The others have come to rescue her, and knowing this has reinvigorated her morale.

 **CHOMP! CHOMP!**

The Darker fishes began their chomping advance again to Lily. Once again, she jumped over them to evade.

 **CHOMP! CRACK!**

Suddenly Lily felt a sharp shock on her left leg. She lost balance and fell down rolling on the ground. Right at this moment, she felt a significant loss of strength and a creeping pain. She then looked at her legs, and then she saw what had happened to her.

"AAAH!"

Her left leg had been bitten off right above the knee, and now it was hemorrhaging blood. Seeing the sight made her pale, and now that she was aware of the wound, she began to feel the pain, which sharply rose into a very bad pain. The pain made her leak tears from her eyes, and her view began to blur.

To make things worse, the fish darkers all stared at her, one of them seemed to be munching her bitten off leg, greaves and all. The rest were very apparent that they were prepared to chomp at her again.

Lily was prepared to muster her remaining strength to evade, even with only one leg. Suddenly, her body glowed green and the wound on her leg closed, along with the pain subsiding. She also regained her focus. She immediately realized that this was Ryu's healing spell.

Lily stood up, using her sword on her left hand as a crutch. Her right hand held the other sword at a ready stance. She was aware that her situation didn't improve that much. The fact still remained that she had lost one leg, and the fish Darkers roared again, telling that they were about to do the advancing chomp again. At this rate she wouldn't be able to evade unscathed.

The fish Darkers did the advancing chomp again, closing in to Lily. But suddenly they were all pulled away quickly towards one side of the cage wall. Lily was surprised, but she saw Ryu at the other side of the wall where the fish Darkers were piled up and realized that he had just used the spell which forcefully pulled the fish Darkers towards him.

"HA!"

 **SMASH!**

Right behind her, Lily saw that Momon did a hard strike at the cage wall using a strange-looking sword, like a clawed hand made from ice. The cage wall then dissipated, and the whole cage disintegrated into smoke.

"Nazonde!"

Lily saw Ryu raising his weapon up, and a huge ball of lightning formed with him as the center. All the fish Darkers that had been pulled near him were fried by the lightning ball and disintegrated into smoke.

Meanwhile, Momon put the strange sword away and kneeled with one knee to Lily.

"Lily, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Thank you for saving me, Momon-dono"

Momon nodded, then he looked at Nabe as he stood up.

"Nabe, heal her leg back"

Nabe nodded and took a scroll from her bag.

[Heal]

The scroll disintegrated into flames, and at the same time Lily's left stump was covered in magic particles. Within a second, her left leg returned. Being quite surprised, Lily rubbed her restored leg with her hands.

"Wha-?"

She tried stepping with her restored leg, which was still barefoot because the sock and greaves had been eaten. Nothing felt wrong. It felt as if her leg had never been cut off at all. She then tried jumping lightly on the spot. Again, nothing felt weird.

"Woah! This feels great! Thank you so much, Momon-dono, Nabe-dono!"

"No problem. I'm glad it worked well"

Ryu approached the group in a hurry. Without saying anything, he kneeled with one knee right in front of Lily with a worried face.

"Lily! Are you hurt anywhere!?"

"Not anymore, Ryu-san. They healed me"

"Lily, I'm so sorry that you had to suffer through all that"

"It's all right, Ryu-san. If it is for you, I'm willing to suffer anything"

"No, listen to me. Next time that thing appear again, let me take the heat"

"But, Ryu-san..."

"I know you meant well, but you are not strong enough to take on that thing. So let me handle that next time, okay?"

"...Alright, Ryu-san"

Alice, who had been standing silent next to Momon and Nabe, approached Lily with a slightly upset face.

 **CLICK!**

And she did a forehead flick on Lily.

"Ow! What's the big idea, Liz-san?"

"That's what you get for making me worried sick"

"Huh?"

"Those monsters, they were the same ones my former partners met their end from. I don't want to lose another by the same cause..."

Alice leaked a drop of tears as she said that. Lily began to realize the weight of her action from this.

"Liz-san... I'm sorry..."

"You better be..."

Before anyone else could say anything further, Momon spoke up.

"Pardon me for intruding the touching moment, but we need to get back to our mission. The more time we waste, the more likely Jaldabaoth is getting infected by the time we get to him"

"Ah, yes. Sorry"

Alice seemed to be a little embarrassed as she said it.

"Lily, can you still fight?"

"Yes, missing one greaves but I still can fight, Ryu-san"

Momon then spoke again.

"Let's fly straight to Jaldabaoth and ignore anything we see on the way"

Everyone else nodded, and the group flew up and straight to the location where Jaldabaoth was located. Lily felt a little strange not wearing any cover for her left leg now, and she also had a feeling of guilt, having lost one part of the gift given by her creator.

"I'm sorry, Papa, I lost your gift..."

Lily said it out, knowing that Papa-Ainz was not there to hear her apology. She fully intended to apologize when she met Papa-Ainz again someday.

"It's alright"

Lily was a little surprised hearing a reply, which sounded exactly like Papa-Ainz. She looked at the source of the voice, and instead what she saw was Momon, who was being carried by Nabe and flying next to her.

"What?"

Momon looked surprised for a bit as Lily asked the question. He then looked away, averting his sight from Lily.

"Nevermind what I said. It just.. came out suddenly"

Lily couldn't help thinking about what had just happened.

 _Come to think of it, Momon-dono's voice is very similar to Papa... Could it be that... Momon-dono is Papa?_

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **I have nothing to say this time around. I will only tell one thing that I expect to finish this arc in the next chapter. Maybe two, with the second one acting as an 'arc epilogue' chapter to wrap things up.**

 **See you again later.**


	42. Chapter 37: Elder's Challenge

**Hello again!**

 **I know it's not the day yet, but I wish you all a happy Lunar New Year. If I wait until the next chapter to say this it will be too late lol.**

 **Putting that aside, here is the next chapter. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 23:40**

The group of five adventurers flew at a height above the rooftop of the buildings within the Warehouse District of Re-Estize capital. Below them, there was a heat of battle between the army of demons and Darker monsters. The Darker monsters were a lot fewer in numbers, but they were individually strong. Even the smallest, weak-looking ones were capable of killing an Overeating easily. The larger, intimidating ones lived up to their appearance, wrecking every demons that got too close.

The demons could still hold out because so far all of the Darkers were melee attackers, so demons capable of ranged attack, flight, or both, could keep their distance and whittle their enemies down. The advantage was not absolute because despite being melee attackers, some Darkers were capable of flight, such as those round fish Darkers.

One thing that would seem weird for anyone not in the know was the sight of some demons fighting each other. Ainz already knew that those demons had been infected by the Darker spores, seeing that there were quite a good number of Darker dead bodies across the streets.

"There!"

Ainz heard Narberal shouting. Ahead of them was a rather spacious area, probably the town square area or such. There were several Darker dead bodies in the area, and what Ainz saw in the middle of the square was Demiurge fighting three large unknown monster, which were probably Darkers. These particular Darkers were very large, about seven or eight meters tall with fairly humanoid body structure but without the head. They had long armored arms which would touch the ground if they bowed just a little, making their stance a little similar to a gorilla. Their torso could as well be their head because the shape and the two large bright spots near the sides could be interpreted as a face with the eyes.

"Alright, stop for a moment!"

Ainz shouted, and everyone stopped their flight, floating in midair.

"Ryu, identify the Darkers"

"Wolgahda, sub-boss class of Darker. Weakspot is the small face between the two bright eye-like spots"

"I see. It seems Jaldabaoth is holding out well"

Right as Ainz said that, one Wolgahda was slashed by Jaldabaoth and perished, but its body didn't disintegrate.

"Ryu-san. Isn't that... Demiurge-dono?"

 _Kinda expected this already..._

Ainz knew that either Ryu or Lily would recognize Demiurge immediately with only a single mask as his disguise. Ryu might still pretend to be oblivious since he knew that Ainz and Momon were the same, but Lily would definitely point that out.

 _But the other one is the one making this complicated the most..._

Ainz was specifically thinking about Alice, who, as expected, began asking questions.

"You know him? Is he one of the subordinates of Ainz Ooal Gown?"

 _And as expected, she jumped into the correct conclusion quickly._

"Well, yes. I think so. But, I believe the most important thing to do is to clean up the Darker dead bodies. We can ask questions later, alright?"

Both Alice and Lily nodded, and Ainz was relieved in his mind.

 _Good job, Ryu. That saves me the speech._

"I believe Ryu is correct. Let's save any questions for later and assist Jaldabaoth by cleaning up the Darker dead bodies first. Nabe, toss me to the square and assist Ryu's group"

"Sure, Momon-san"

As intructed, Narberal dropped Ainz in the middle of the square not too far from the spot where Demiurge was fighting the remaining two Wolgahdas. Right at this time another Wolgahda had been slain.

Ainz took his Frost Pain Modified from his inventory and jumped towards the dead body of the recently slain Wolgahda. With a single downward slash, the dead body disintegrated. Ainz felt relieved that this improved replica of the magic sword owned by Zaryusu was good enough to disintegrate Darker dead bodies, which meant it was also likely eligible to kill Darkers properly.

Ainz repeated the same action to the other dead body of Wolgahda, and it also disintegrated into smoke. Ainz then looked at the last Wolgahda, and noticed that it jumped at him, doing a full body dive. It slid through the ground bulldozing everything in its path. Ainz jumped up, evading its attack. At some distance away it stopped sliding, but it quickly turned around and did the full body dive again.

This time, Ainz didn't intend to evade.

"Icy Burst!"

Ainz used the special ability of the sword, shooting out a wave of cold, freezing air at the coming Wolgahda. It was a success. The Wolgahda was stopped in its tracks by numerous ice pillars which pinned it in place.

Ainz then jumped forward right at the Wolgahda and stabbed the weakpoint Ryu had mentioned with the Frost Pain Modified. The Wolgahda wailed for a moment, and then it perished with its body disintegrating.

 _Good, this is sufficient to properly kill Darkers._

The rest of the group landed next to him soon, and then they all directed their eyes to the single figure of a demon; Demiurge, or known as Jaldabaoth at that moment.

"Let me do the talking. But stay alert as well"

Ainz said that, and everyone else in the group nodded. He then walked a few steps forward to Demiurge, who was standing still without any speech. Ainz noticed that Demiurge still had his [Razor Sharp Claw] activated.

"Jaldabaoth! I am aware we didn't have a good start the first time we met, but the situation has changed. Are you still capable of reason?"

Ainz shouted at a distance. He was prepared, so even if Demiurge immediately attacked he would be able to dodge for sure. Albedo had not contacted him yet, so it was likely Demiurge was still not fully lost yet. However, Demiurge seemed to begin laughing.

"Ahhh... hahahaha... The situation has changed... I am fully aware of that already... However... Right now I am already at the brink of being unable to control my own actions... I advise you to run away, unless you want a hell of a suffering..."

 _Good, Demiurge is still not fully taken over by the Darkers yet._

"Ryu, come here"

Ainz made a gesture for Ryu to come near, which Ryu complied.

"What do you think? It seems he is not fully taken over yet. Do we have a good chance to cure him?"

"If he is still at that stage, there's a way to cure him without beating him up"

What Ryu had just said felt like a new beacon of hope for Ainz.

"How?"

"He just need to stay still for a minute while I touch him and flush my photon energy into him"

"Alright"

Ainz then looked straight at Demiurge again and began shouting.

"Jaldabaoth! You are getting infected by the spores of the creatures you fought, namely Darkers! This man besides me can cure you, but you need to stay still as he does the work! Can I trust you to do that!?"

"Eheheheh... Unfortunately... I really can't... I'm afraid I can't... hold this... for another... second... Ugh... UUUUURRRRGHHH!"

Ainz immediately knew that Demiurge was no longer able to fight the urge of violence. Up until recently, he had the three Wolgahdas as targets to vent out the urge, but now there were no targets other than the group.

"Oh no... Stand back!"

Demiurge twitched like an epileptic. Ainz could see that he was still struggling against the infection, and seeing the unsightly scene filled Ainz with a number of emotions. Sadness for seeing the suffering of his friend's child, guilt for making a mistake which had led this to happen, and anger at whoever was behind this.

 _Demiurge, I'm really sorry for this. I made a mistake and you have to suffer for it. I will end your suffering, and I will make the Dark Falz pay for what they have done to you!_

Ainz charged at Demiurge, fully intending to kill him and end his suffering.

However...

"AAAAAAAARGHHH!"

 **SLASH!**

 **SPLORCH!**

 **THUD!**

Ainz stopped, not believing what he had just seen.

Demiurge had amputated both his arms simultaneously with a single slash from his own [Razor Sharp Claw]. The cut part squirted a lot of blood, and he dropped down to his knees.

"W-What have you done!?"

Ainz just couldn't hold his feelings as he shouted. The sight of Demiurge committing a self-harm was intolerable. His emotion override managed to suppress him, but the fact presented in front of him still remained.

"Eheheheh... Now I can stay still... Do your work..."

 **THUD!**

Right after saying that, Demiurge fainted with his face on the ground. The cut off arms lost their claws and reverted back to normal looking arms.

"Ryu!"

Ainz looked at Ryu while calling him out. Ryu nodded and immediately ran to Demiurge, followed by others including Ainz himself. When he got close, Ryu kneeled next to Demiurge and put his hands on Demiurge's back. Soon, Ryu's hand let out blue glow followed by Demiurge's whole body. Along with the blue glow, some dark red particles were visible, oozing out from Demiurge's body.

"Is he going to be all right?"

"I don't know. He will be cleaned from Darker infection in a minute or two, but with this kind of wound..."

"Nabe, do we still have more of the [Heal] scroll?"

"No, I'm afraid we only had one to begin with"

Hearing what Narberal had just said, Lily looked at Ainz with a face full of guilt. Ainz noticed that, and so he spoke before Lily could say anything.

"No need to be sorry, Lily. We will find another way"

"Ah, pardon me. Maybe I can do something"

It was Alice who suddenly spoke. Ainz remembered that she was capable of healing lost limbs to regrow, though with the catch that the regrown limb would be unusable for a few days.

 _Well, Pestonya can treat him in Nazarick afterwards. There's no loss for letting her try._

"Go ahead. I don't want Jaldabaoth to die from blood loss after all this effort to reason with him"

"Alright"

Alice then approached the still unconscious Demiurge and began casting a spell.

[Boost Maximize Magic: Cure Light Wounds]

Ainz sighed in his mind as Alice casted the spell.

 _Oh come on. That much metamagic will leave you dry. Haven't you learned? But then again, this is Demiurge she was trying to heal._

Demiurge's body radiated a green glow, and the wounds at the amputated spot were closed. However, his arms didn't regrow. Ainz had already expected this, since an Archdevil like Demiurge would need much more than mere low tier healing magic to be healed properly.

"I think that's enough, Alice. That should be sufficient to at least prevent him from dying from blood loss"

"Alright"

"Let's all keep watch on our surroundings while Ryu does his work"

Everyone else nodded and they surrounded Ryu and Demiurge in a circle formation. Fortunately, nothing happened despite the heat of battle all around at a distance.

One minute later, there were no more red particles coming out and Ryu stopped his doing.

"That should do"

Ryu stood up, and Ainz came closer to Demiurge.

"Jaldabaoth, are you awake? Can you stand up?"

Right after Ainz said that, Jaldabaoth grew sinister wings on his back, floated a bit, and landed on his two feet. The wings then disappeared.

"I feel... calm. The violent urge disappeared. So it is true that you cured me"

Demiurge looked at Ryu as he said that, and then he continued.

"It shames me to admit this, but I suppose I owe you one"

Ainz then spoke, seeing if he could still maintain the facade.

"Jaldabaoth, now that we can talk properly, I want to ask if we can be allies, even if temporarily"

Demiurge was silent for a few seconds, seemingly thinking behind the mask.

"Normally I would never ally with humans, but since I owe you a favor, I will go along with you for now"

"Are you still capable of fighting?"

"Indeed, without my arms I can't do physical attacks. But I am still capable of casting powerful magic"

"Do you have more subordinates? Against the threat we are facing we may need all the help we can get"

"Indeed I have, but I have ordered them to retreat. I didn't want to risk losing another"

 _Now, what should I say next...?_

Ainz wanted to summon Yuri and CZ, who were supposed to play as Jaldabaoth's demon maids along with Solution, Lupusregina, and Entoma during this operation. But right now there were two people still in the dark about his identity, and if possible Ainz wanted to keep it that way. So now he was thinking of a wordplay which would make Demiurge call those two without sounding suspicious.

 _But then again, I accidentally blurted out some suspicious words to Lily just recently. She probably had known already, and Alice being sharp as she is, the chance of her also figuring my identity is quite high..._

Ainz was quite overwhelmed with the current situation. Despite being an undead with an emotion suppressor, there was still a feeling which would never be suppressed by the system. The one feeling which had been accumulating steadily over time.

Tiredness.

 _I'm tired..._

 _I'm tired of all this facade..._

 _I'm tired of playing the all-knowing, almighty leader..._

 _I'm tired of being someone I'm not really am..._

Ainz was tired ever since quite a while ago. However, he had been enduring it for fear of being abandoned by the guardians and every other residents. He didn't want to have that happen, no matter the cost.

 _No matter the cost... What a fool I am..._

That phrase sounded really stupid now. It has been presented right in front of his face that harm befalling the guardians was among the cost of keeping up all the facade, and that also included death like what had happened to Entoma. Being abandoned would be terrible, but seeing them all getting harmed for this facade was too great of a cost. Ainz had realized that too late.

 _That's it! I've had enough! To hell with getting abandoned if they will be harmed otherwise!_

"Demiurge! Return to Nazarick and rest up!"

Pretty much everyone were surprised by what Ainz had just said. Demiurge in particular seemed to be surprised the most, and then he spoke.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Who is this 'Demiurge' you are talking about?"

"Demiurge, by the name of Ainz Ooal Gown, drop the act"

Demiurge was speechless, and then he dropped to one knee.

"As you wish, Ainz-sama"

"Return to Nazarick, and have Pestonya heal you up. Also, tell every other guardians in Nazarick to be ready for battle but don't join the fray unless I say so"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

"Narberal, call CZ and Yuri. Tell them to come immediately"

"Yes, Mo..Ainz-sama"

Narberal then began using [Message] while Demiurge stood up.

"Go now, Demiurge. Also..."

Ainz was silent for a few seconds.

"After this is over, I will have an important announcement. Will you be there?"

"There's no question, Ainz-sama. I will be there even if I have to travel an entire world's worth of distance"

"I see... Now go"

Demiurge bowed, and then he went away using [Greater Teleportation]. Ainz then looked at the rest of the group, who were still silent so far.

"There you have it. I have been lying to you all, all this time"

All of a sudden, Lily hugged Ainz.

"W-Wha...?"

"Thank you, Papa"

"What?"

"You have been secretly watching over me all this time, right? From the day you created me"

"Uhh..."

"From the moment I was created, I was prepared to devote myself to serve my master, no matter how bad I would be treated. Even if I were to be treated as a worthless slave, I would never complain. You created me to serve Ryu-san, and I am happy that Ryu-san is a very caring master"

At this moment, Ainz wanted to stop her misunderstanding and come clean. But he couldn't bring himself to interrupt her happiness.

"But not only that. You went all the way out to watch over me, even though there is no need for you to do that. To have both a caring master and a caring creator, I can't be happier than this!"

Ainz felt awkward inside his mind. Ryu probably felt the same, and he visibly showed signs of it from the minor body movements he made.

"Ryu-san! Papa! I love you! Both of you!"

Suddenly, right after speaking the declaration, Lily's body emitted a quite blinding light. Everyone there, Ainz included, got surprised. Ainz had no knowledge at all about the ongoing thing. However, as if something out there knew his question, Ainz heard a message projected inside his mind.

* * *

 ****NOTICE****

 **Special Requirements Fulfilled**

 **(The Master Is Someone Else) (Rescued The Dog) (Papa of Dog) (Loving Daddy – Creator) (Loving Daddy – Master) (Happy Dog) (Loved by Dog – Creator) (Loved by Dog – Master)**

 **The class levels of Lily Vangraf will now evolve.**

 **[Loyal Dog] level is increased to 10.**

 **Acquire new class: [Devoted Dog]**

 **Equipment restriction removed.**

 **Checking optional requirements.**

 **Optional requirement fulfilled: (Melee Fighter)**

 **Acquire new class: [Fighter]**

 **Optional requirement fulfilled: (Mid-Level Slayer)**

 **Acquire bonus stats.**

 **Optional requirement fulfilled: (Cheated Death)**

 **Permanent Death restriction relaxed. Resurrection is now possible if performed within 5 minutes.**

 **No more optional requirements fulfilled. Proceeding to next step.**

 **Lily Vangraf will gain some classes of the Master.**

 **ERROR!**

 **Unidentified job class detected in the Master. Could not complete the step.**

 **Diverting to the Creator.**

 **Step complete.**

 **The following classes have been acquired:**

 **[Warrior][Champion][Battlemaster]**

 **Calculating levels of new classes.**

 **Calculation complete.**

 **Lily Vangraf now possesses the following classes:**

 **Loyal Dog Level 10**

 **Devoted Dog Level 10**

 **Fighter Level 15**

 **Warrior Level 15**

 **Champion Level 15**

 **Battlemaster Level 10**

 **The Creature Within Level 27**

 **Total class levels of Lily Vangraf exceeds threshold. The class levels and stat boosts from the temporary class [The Creature Within] will be ignored.**

* * *

 _W-WHAAAAAAAAT!?_

Ainz couldn't believe what had just happened. According to the message projected in his mind, Lily had just evolved from a weak level 5 NPC into a level 75 warrior type NPC, which meant she was now stronger than most Pleiades. He had no knowledge at all about this kind of thing happening in YGGDRASIL, ever. All he had ever heard about the [Loyal Dog] NPCs were the grievings and mournings of the players who had lost their NPC thanks to the PK-ing nature of the game which naturally would get the NPC killed. The playerbase had unanimously agreed that the NPC was just a troll move by the shitty devs.

But seeing what had just happened, Ainz understood one thing.

The devs were even shittier than he had been thinking of.

 _Seriously!? Those requirements are fucking unrealistic! Who in their right mind would assign a unique, one per player NPC to another player!? And both have to be doting daddies to the NPC to boot!? Really!? What if one of the players is female!?_

Putting the complaints aside, a level 75 NPC was still far weaker than a top tier player, but with proper setup they could still hold the fort for a while to buy time. Moreover, with their quirk of not being counted against guild base level limit, they were essentially a free, one time use, additional layer of defense.

 _If we had known this back then, we might have had a bunch of free NPCs to guard Nazarick. But oh well..._

Lily's new classes were definitely copied from Ainz's converted [Perfect Warrior] classes. Ainz wondered what would have happened if he had not been under the effect of that spell, but since it was already past, there was no use thinking about it.

First, he had to explain things to Ryu, who obviously had a lot of questions. At this time, Lily had stopped shining and she also looked quite confused. Her physical looks were still the same.

"Lily! Are you alright? What just happened?"

"I-I have no idea, but I'm fine I think"

Both Ryu and Lily looked at Ainz, hoping that he would have answers. Thankfully, he indeed had answers thanks to that projected message.

"Ryu, we have triggered an evolution. In short, Lily has become stronger"

"What?"

"Oh, so Lily just got a special kind of lair-bellup"

Both Ryu and Ainz, and everyone else in the group, didn't have the slightest idea about what Alice had just said.

"Excuse me, what did you say?"

"Lair-bellup. That's what we say when someone breaks through their current limits, and they experience a permanent increase in their overall abilities. It is an ancient term known since more than 200 years ago"

 _Lair-bellup... could it be that the phrase is actually 'Level Up' but distorted by time? That pretty much confirms that there are players who arrived in this world before me._

"I see. It seems the final thing needed to trigger the evolution was... that love declaration. A-Anyway, we can save that for later. We need to-"

 **WHOOSH!**

 **CRASH!**

Suddenly, something big flew by right above the group and crashed through many buildings. It turned around, crashed through more buildings, and landed at the square. Ainz saw that the creature was a 10 meter tall tortoise standing on two legs, like a famous monster from ancient kaiju movies. From the color of the body and the single large red core on the head, Ainz could easily conclude that this was another Darker.

"Ryu, identify"

"Zeshrayda, boss class Darker, Head core or neck core, lightning element"

"Neck core? I don't see neck core"

"Neck core is more vulnerable but is only exposed if the Zesh is toppled over"

Right after Ryu said it, both CZ and Yuri arrived via [Gate], probably casted by Shalltear. They looked ready for battle in their Pleiades uniform. The portal disappeared right after they came out.

"Good, you have come. Listen up, I want you to fight that monster alongside us. Use everything at your disposal, especially the new moves you gained recently"

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

"Let's go!"

The whole group immediately charged at the Zeshrayda, which immediately roared and dropped to its belly, resulting in a full frontal body slam. Nobody got hit because it was still far in front of the group.

"Evade to the side!"

Everyone heard Ryu's warning and immediately sidestepped as the Zeshrayda launched itself forward like a freight train with what seemed like jet engines on its back. Nobody got hit, and the Zeshrayda drifted around, ending in a standing position.

"Zonde!"

Both Ryu and Alice casted a Photon Tech simultaneously. The Zeshrayda got struck by two lightning bolts from above, one being quite larger than the other. It was staggered, and then it turned around.

"Incoming!"

The Zeshrayda shot out numerous dark energy bolts from four cannon-like holes located on its shell. Some of them had a sharp needle-like shape, while the rest were round spheres. The sharp ones had some homing capability, turning towards their target as they flew.

"Maximize Magic: Chain Dragon Lightning!"

Narberal casted a spell which pierced through the energy bolts, destroying them and hitting the Zeshrayda as well. Some energy bolts still went through and hit the ground, causing explosions which thankfully didn't hit anyone.

"Break the legs to topple it over!"

"Got it, Ryu! Yuri! Take the left! Our left!"

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

Both Ainz and Yuri charged towards the Zeshrayda, which turned to face the group after shooting those energy bolts. Yuri slowed down to a walking pace and charged energy at this point.

"Straight Charge!"

Yuri zoomed right to Zeshrayda's right leg with a straight punch coated in energy. It was a direct hit, and then she followed up.

"Backhand Smash!"

Yuri did exactly as she had shouted; a single strike with her backhand.

 **SMASH!**

The sound of the impact was unnaturally loud, and the armor covering the Zeshrayda's leg shattered with that strike. The Zeshrayda started to lose balance as the result.

"HA!"

Ainz struck the other leg using Frost Pain Modified with all his strength. The leg's armor also shattered, and the Zeshrayda fell on its back, exposing its neck core.

At a little distance, CZ calmly aimed her gun in a one-knee position. A pale flickering blue light came from the sky, covering the Zeshrayda's head and torso. The light coverage gradually shrunk every second as it got brighter, until only the exposed neck core was covered by a quite bright vertical light. Both Ainz and Yuri knew what this was, so they jumped away from the Zeshrayda.

"Satellite Cannon"

A bright pillar of light fell down from the sky, striking the Zeshrayda with an intense explosion. After the light pillar disappeared, everyone could see that the Zeshrayda was no longer there. It has disintegrated, and what was left there was a large, deep crater.

"Woah..."

Ryu didn't hide his astonishment. Indeed, the environmental damage was greater than the test back in the Amphitheater, mainly because the Amphitheater was made to be resilient compared to the ordinary structures in this world.

In any case, now Ainz has confirmed that the Photon Arts bestowed to Yuri and CZ were sufficient to fight against large Darkers, so the smaller Darkers in the area should be no problem for them.

 _I still can't risk sending them to kill Darkers in the city. Putting the Photon Arts aside, they are not much different in combat prowess than Entoma. They might get killed by the Dark Falz lurking around somewhere._

Before Ainz could think further, a red portal appeared near the group. The thing which soon came out from the portal was a four meter tall humanoid. Seeing the large mohawk thing on its back, Ainz could conclude immediately that this was the Dark Falz.

"Ryu, is that what you told us about? Identify"

"Falz Hunar. Humanoid form of Dark Falz Elder. Chest core. Lightning element"

Before Ainz could say anything in response, the Dark Falz spoke.

"Interesting. An ARKS along with a group of powerful people, though with one weak, worthless bug"

The Dark Falz spoke out his comment on the group. Ainz could easily conclude that the 'worthless bug' was Alice, since she was the only ordinary local adventurer in the group and Lily had just evolved her levels. Still, he was quite surprised seeing that the Dark Falz was less aggressive than the Darkers and seemed to be capable of reason.

Ainz stepped forward and began speaking.

"What is your objective here, Dark Falz?"

The Dark Falz laughed hearing Ainz's question, but then it replied.

"I'm here to fight a good battle. Simple as that. Also, hasn't that ARKS guy over there told you that my name is Elder?"

"Alright, Elder it is. Answer my question. Did you kill a demon maid recently?"

Elder folded his arms, and answered soon enough.

"Indeed, I fought and defeated an insect creature in maid uniform. Her name was Entoma"

A feeling of rage began building up in Ainz's mind. The one who had killed Entoma was right in front of his eyes. The one who had disgraced Nazarick. Ainz wanted to avenge her right then and there, but he needed to be careful since he still didn't know the strength of a Dark Falz.

"She fought well. That was a good battle"

 _What?_

Ainz couldn't help feeling surprised hearing what Elder had just said. He had been expecting Elder to gloat over the victory and blabber about how weak Entoma was. However, what had just happened was pretty much the total opposite, and the rage within Ainz's mind nearly disappeared. This was like back then when a member of the guild got PK'ed, but the perpetrator commended him for giving a good fight. That commendation extinguished all the resulting anger within the guild members, reminding them that YGGDRASIL was still just a game for fun and he was being a good sport. That player eventually had become a friend of the guild members, though sadly he never got invited into the guild since his character was a human.

 _No, this is no longer a game. I must still remain cautious._

"So, what do you want? You want to fight all of us?"

While still with his arms folded, Elder replied to Ainz's question after laughing once more.

"That would be interesting, but I know my limits"

 _What? Is he outright admitting that he can't win against us? Or was it just a bait to make us lower our guard?_

Ainz looked at Ryu, hoping that he would give some explanation. Ryu had his holographic interface floating in front, seemingly scanning Elder.

"He's in a weakened state. I have a high chance to win even if I fight him one on one"

 _So he wasn't lying. But why coming here right in front of us? Is there something he is planning?_

"Here's the deal. I want to have a duel with one of you"

"Why should we accept if we can kill you right here and now?"

"Because otherwise this city will become a nest for my minions, unless you don't mind that happening"

Hearing what Elder had just said, Ainz looked at Ryu. His knowledge about this matter was still limited, so he expected Ryu to confirm wheter Elder was telling the truth or just bluffing.

"He's not lying. Without ARKS Fleet to clean things up, this city can turn into a den of Darkers easily. I can't do much all by myself"

"That ARKS guy gets it. If you accept, no matter the result, I will leave this city alone and my minions will do the same"

Ainz looked at Elder again.

"How can we know that you're going to keep your words?"

"Now that's a difficult one. I will just leave it to your judgement, hmm?"

Ainz actually had the option to have the guardians capture Elder, or kill him outright. However, despite being weaker than usual, there was no telling what Elder was capable of, or what he was planning in his mind. In addition, Elder had the ability to teleport away at will, which may or may not be blocked by teleportation disruption spells, since his teleportation method was definitely not the same as what Ainz knew. If Ainz attempted this and Elder got away, nobody knew what kind of retribution would come from Elder at a later time.

 _Alright, I will try honoring his offer for now. If he lies, then I will have the guardians pile up on him._

"Alright, deal! I will take you on!"

"Then as promised, I will have my minions retreat"

Elder snapped his fingers, and then the noise of battles far away dissipated.

"Let's begin immediately then!"

Elder flexed his right shoulder, while his other arm made a challenging gesture, telling Ainz to come at him immediately. At this point, the rest of the group flew away to give space and landed on a nearby roof to keep watch.

"Woargh!"

Ainz jumped forward, charging straight at Elder. Thanks to Ryu, he knew about the fact that Elder had a sword but preferred to fight bare handed. That was an element of surprise lost from Elder.

 **CLANK!**

Ainz jumped and slashed vertically with his ordinary sword, deciding to save the Frost Pain Modified for later. Elder blocked the sword with his armored arm, then counter-attacked with a kick. Ainz dodged narrowly and landed about two meters away in front of Elder.

Being a four meter tall creature, Elder looked quite intimidating to Ainz who was only half as tall. Ainz still had little to no knowledge on Elder's capabilities, so he remained cautious despite Ryu saying that Elder was weaker than normal.

Elder jumped up and did a diving kick with his leg enveloped in dark energy. Once again, Ainz evaded. He then immediately launched himself straight at Elder's chest core, intending to strike it. However, Elder blocked his attack again with his armored arm, and then he immediately countered with a punch.

 **CLANK!**

Ainz took the punch head on, getting thrown away but ended up landing on his two feet. There was pretty much no damage sustained.

 _I guess he really is not strong currently._

Ainz charged at Elder again and did a flurry of slashes, all aimed at the legs since the core on the chest was too high to reach without jumping, which would put him vulnerable to counter attack again. Elder blocked some slashes, but most of them were taken directly without causing much damage since the legs were as armored as the arms. Ainz then jumped away to dodge a retaliation kick.

"Interesting! Wooooaaarghh!"

Elder unleashed a fiery aura of dark energy while seemingly charging power. Ainz could tell that Elder was getting serious from this sign, and might possibly start using the sword.

 **CRASH!**

Elder slammed the ground he was standing on, causing an explosion and numerous pillars of dark energy which spread from him in outward spiral motion. Ainz dodged the dark pillars which dissipated shortly after.

As expected, Elder took the sword which had been hanging on his back. Ainz put away his ordinary sword and took out the Frost Pain Modified.

Ainz and Elder immediately clashed each other's swords. Ainz could follow Elder's movement quite easily thanks to the enhanced perception as part of the [Perfect Warrior] spell. He had no problem blocking Elder's attacks.

"Hahahaha! This is interesting! But why don't you give me all you got!?"

"Oh, so you knew"

"Of course! I can tell that you are holding back!"

Despite saying that, Elder somewhat sounded happy as they kept clashing swords. Ainz merely wanted to observe Elder's capabilities, but then he decided to answer differently.

"If I get serious, you will quickly lose. That wouldn't be a good battle, no? I also want to enjoy this moment a little longer"

"Right! You are quite an interesting man! Hahahaha!"

"Are battles your only objective?"

"Yes! To hell with reviving Profound Darkness! Let the others do that job! I only want to fight!"

"What?"

"Don't mind that! None of your business!"

"Playtime is over, then!"

 **CLANK!**

 **CRACK!**

Ainz slashed with all his strength right at Elder's sword. The clash broke Elder's sword, making the blade look chipped all over instead of the smooth curve previously seen. Elder seemed distracted for a moment, and then he put the sword on his back again.

Ainz, in response, put away the Frost Pain Modified and went back to his ordinary sword. Though this time he dual-wielded them.

"Why did you go back to those boring swords? Breaking my sword doesn't make me any weaker"

"Because this!"

Ainz then quickly switched the way he held the swords into backhand grip.

"Raging Waltz!"

Ainz launched himself straight to Elder's chest core and did an upward jumping slash. It was a direct hit because it had seemed to take Elder by surprise. Ainz then followed up before he even touched the ground.

"Ooorchestraaa!"

Ainz did a flurry of combination attacks with his swords and kicks thrown inbetween, ending with a vertical stab with both swords directly at Elder's chest core.

"UGH!"

Elder fell on his knee as Ainz jumped away to make some distance. The broken sword fell off his back and by chance stabbed the ground, ending like a sword in stone waiting to be pulled out.

"Photon Arts? Hahahaha! Interesting!"

"You want more?"

"I'll pass. It's my defeat. I thank you for a very good fight! See you again later! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Elder then jumped backwards and disappeared into a red portal which disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Ainz was glad that those two Photon Arts were sufficient to defeat Elder. In truth, the two Photon Arts he had just used had consumed all the MP he had left. Unlike normal warrior skills from YGGDRASIL, Photon Arts consumed MP upon use, and having [Perfect Warrior] active had a side effect of depleting his MP nearly completely.

After breathing an imaginary sigh of relief, Ainz noticed the sword which Elder had left behind. Soon, the sword was enveloped in red smoke.

 _Is it going to disintegrate like Darker dead bodies?_

Soon, the smoke dissipated, and what was left there was something curious.

 _Hmm?_

The sword had returned into pristine condition, and it had shrunk to the size of a greatsword which could be wielded by humans. Ainz approached the sword, observed it for a bit, and pulled it out from the ground. His allies approached him as he lifted the sword to take a closer look. Ainz noticed that Ryu looked quite astonished.

"Ryu, do you know about this?"

"Elder Pain. That is the name of Hunar's sword. Very, very rarely, the sword shrinks like that instead of disintegrating after being left by Hunar"

 _In other words, this is a rare drop? Interesting... I should bring this to Nazarick for study._

"So, we have repelled the Dark Falz for now, is that correct, Ryu?"

"Yes. He will return, but not for a while. Hopefully the fleet will come before then"

Ainz breathed a sigh of relief. The chaotic night was finally over. There were still things to do, but the hardest part was done.

 _Now, the next hardest part._

"Now, before the adventurers come, I need to address a few things"

Ainz approached Lily and Alice, and then he bowed.

"I apologize for hiding who I really am"

Both of them seemed quite surprised by the sudden gesture. Ainz looked at Lily before continuing.

"Lily, I didn't do this to watch over you. This has been all for my own interest. I'm not a loving father you envision me to be, and I don't deserve your love"

"Papa! Don't say that!"

Before Lily could talk further, Ainz looked at Alice and continued.

"Alice, we haven't known each other for long, so I have nothing to say. No excuse or such. However, I hope that you will keep this fact a secret. Things will get complicated if people know my true identity"

"I don't know your deal, but alright. I have seen enough madness tonight, and I'm tired. I don't want any more complications"

"You have my gratitude"

Ainz then looked at CZ and Yuri.

"Return to Nazarick. Bring this to the armory"

Ainz gave the Elder Pain to Yuri, who then immediately went away along with CZ after receiving it. After that, the group proceeded to scout the area to make sure there were no more Darkers, dead or alive. Indeed, Elder had kept his words. All monsters remaining in the area were Demiurge's summoned demons. Not even Darker dead bodies could be found, as if they had never come.

"Ryu, tell me. Is Elder really like that? I expected him to be more... villainous"

"I can't say for sure, but it seems he does hold a certain standards of honor"

 _He might get along well with Cocytus if he was not an enemy..._

In any case, the chaotic night was over, and a feeling of worry began to creep up inside Ainz's mind. He had decided to come clean to his guardians about how he was not the Supreme Being they envisioned him to be, and he would announce it as soon as this current matter was over.

 _I really want to live up to their expectations, but... I just can't._

 _Demiurge got badly wounded, and Entoma is dead._

 _Yes, they can be healed and resurrected, but the fact that harm has befallen them doesn't change. Harm that could have been prevented if I have been more competent, or didn't get too busy keeping up the facade._

However, despite the resolve, Ainz was still worried that the guardians would be so disappointed in him and decide to leave. They were the legacy of his friends, and he couldn't imagine what it would be like if he got abandoned by them.

 _This is a conundrum. If I continue the facade, I will eventually screw up again and the consequences might be even more fatal. If I come clean, they might become disappointed in me and leave._

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **With this chapter, the main course of Vol 6 is complete. The next chapter will be the epilogue of this arc to wrap things up, and after that I plan to write up a filler arc or two before proceeding to cover Vol 7.**

 **Also, I'd like to say thanks to MajorShipper519** **for the thorough comment. I'd like to not say anything whether I agree or disagree with your points, but one thing for sure is that they got me thinking, which is a good thing. I will definitely reflect on those for the future arcs.**

 **See you later.**


	43. Chapter 38: Personal Inquiry

**Hello there.**

 **As I said before, now is time to wrap up Vol 6 of the novel. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Tomb of Nazarick, Two Days After Battle of Re-Estize**

The throne room of Nazarick was packed with creatures. All guardians and their vassals with a few exceptions were present. All of them were lined up neatly like they were in a grand ceremony. They all stood still, patiently waiting for their lord to arrive. The amount of residents present in the room was pretty much the same as the time when Ainz had made the announcement of leaving his old name and taking on the name which has been his name ever since then.

Their wait was not long. Soon, the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard, and they saw the magnificent Supreme Being coming from the side of the room, with the Guardian Overseer Albedo by his side. All of the residents changed their stance from standing straight to kneeling with one knee as their sign of respect.

The Supreme Being, Ainz Ooal Gown, sat down on the throne. He made a small gesture to Albedo, who was standing right next to the throne, and then she began speaking.

"Our Lord Ainz Ooal Gown is about to make an important announcement. Stand up, look at him in the eyes, and focus your mind to listen to every single word he is about to say"

All residents stood up and focused their mind as instructed. There was a silence for a few seconds until Ainz began speaking.

"Guardians, vassals, and everyone else present. I thank you for coming. The announcement I am about to make is very important, and will influence Nazarick as a whole. Therefore, I need all of you to listen up and not make any response until I allow you so. That also applies to you, Albedo"

All the residents, Albedo included, didn't say a word. They immediately put themselves into listening mode. There was another silence for about ten seconds before Ainz spoke again.

"All of you have known already about the recent event. It was an operation to put the capital of the kingdom into the grasp of Nazarick, and also for some other benefits. The operation went smoothly at first, but then something unexpected put a spanner in the clockwork, and things only went downhill from there"

Ainz stopped for a bit and sighed.

"A Pleiades lost her life, and then a Floor Guardian was greatly harmed. They have been resurrected and healed, but the fact still remains that harm has befallen them. Harm, that could have been prevented if I have been more competent"

Nobody said anything, but anyone could feel that the tension within the room sharply rose. They all wanted to deny the last part of the speech just said, but they all had been instructed to stay silent and they had to obey.

"Demiurge"

"Y-Yes, Ainz-sama!"

"Entoma"

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

"Come closer"

Both Demiurge and Entoma walked to Ainz slowly, with worry of what Ainz would say to them next. Despite what Ainz had just said, they still believed that what had happened to them was their own failure.

Ainz stood up from his Throne as Demiurge and Entoma kneeled in front of him.

And then he bowed.

"I'm sorry that my negligence has forced you to suffer through those. I am truly ashamed"

Both Demiurge and Entoma, and also the rest of the residents present there, were surprised beyond their wits. It was unthinkable for them to see their supreme being putting himself lower than them.

"N-No, Ainz-sama. It was clearly my own fault for underestimating the enemy"

"Please rise up, Ainz-sama. It is unthinkable to see your divine self bowing to us, who have been the ones to make a fatal mistake to begin with"

Without changing his stance, Ainz continued speaking.

"I will get this straight. I am not an almighty, all-knowing Supreme Being all of you have been envisioning me as. The truth is, my mind is not supreme at all! I am just as foolish as any human you can find out there!"

The tension rose even further. None of the residents could imagine their supreme leader putting himself that low. Some of them gritted their teeth, trying to hold their urge to respond and deny that statement.

"Therefore, this is my decision!"

All residents stood still, their fear revved up to the max. Their greatest worry was that Ainz would decide to leave Nazarick, and that would be their ultimate downfall. They would have no idea what to do if Ainz decided so.

"Now that all of you know the truth, I will let you all decide. You may have noticed those two banners on the side of this room"

Indeed, there were two banners hanging on small pedestals placed on each side of the room. One banner with the image of Ainz Ooal Gown symbol was placed on the left side, while the other banner, which was a plain white banner, was placed on the right side.

"Those who wish to retire from Nazarick, line up behind the white banner. Those who wish to stay, line up behind the guild banner"

Without giving Ainz any chance to speak further, every single residents present in the room lined up behind the guild banner. Ainz didn't look happy seeing that. He just sighed as he sat down at the throne again.

"You need to think thoroughly for this decision. Ask yourself; are you willing to stay under the rule of a foolish, incompetent being like me? Even if you decide to leave, I will not reprimand you. You will be sent off in a good note"

"Ainz-sama. Pardon me, but may I speak for all the guardians and everyone else?"

"Alright, Albedo. Speak up"

"From the beginning, our purpose has been to devote our life in servitude for the Supreme Beings. That purpose has never changed. It never matters whether the Supreme Beings are weak, strong, wise, foolish, or anything else. Even if the Supreme Beings treat us like garbage, we will never leave nor revolt, because this is what all of us have been created for"

There was a moment of silence briefly.

"Ainz-sama. Of all the 41 Supreme Beings, you are the only one who never abandoned us. We are truly grateful for that. We have been dedicating ourselves to serve you, no matter how you treat us and how strong or weak you are. So Ainz-sama, from the bottom of our hearts, please let us remain with you, now and forever"

Ainz was speechless hearing that. He then leaned to the side of his throne with one hand covering his face. His body seemed to shake a little bit. All residents had a question in their mind, a question which none of them wanted to openly ask.

Could it be, that Ainz was crying?

"Hahaha... Look, now I display such unsightly, shameful scene. Are you still certain with your decision?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

All residents shouted that answer in unison. They were all fully determined.

"Then so be it!"

Ainz then stood up, his hand holding the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown. Immediately, he raised the staff high in front of the residents.

"Long live Nazarick!"

Ainz's shout was then immediately responded by a shout from all residents.

"Long live Nazarick! All hail Ainz Ooal Gown!"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Shining Golden Pavilion, Night, The Day After Battle of Re-Estize**

The three adventurers of Ignite Maximus had just arrived at their room in the inn. All of them felt mentally tired after everything that had happened.

Elder keeping his words had put them into a disadvantage during the questionings which had come after the battle. Because there had been nothing left of the Darkers, all evidence of their existence had been lost, resulting in a hard time to explain things to the officials. Despite being Adamantite Rank and Orichalcum Rank respectively, Darkness and Ignite Maximus were still practically outsiders to the officials, and none of the Blue Rose had seen any Darkers since it had turned out that none had left the area within the walls of fire. Therefore, every officials were still skeptical.

There were a number of living witnesses from the civilians who had managed to escape from the area, but all of them were traumatized pretty badly so their testimonies couldn't be relied on. All in all, while both Darkness and Ignite Maximus had ended up being regarded as heroes for repelling Jaldabaoth and his minions, skepticism was still quite prominent around them.

All three of the group immediately sat down on the nearest seat, whether it was a chair or the bed. They all sighed, feeling quite relieved that they finally got their time to be alone.

"Whew, I'm beat"

"Yeah, me too, Ryu-san"

"Let's take our well-deserved rest and see what we will do tomorrow"

"Count me in!"

However, Ryu noticed that Alice had not spoken at all ever since they had departed from the capital. In fact, he could notice that she seemed quite unhappy.

"Liz, is there something wrong?"

Alice remained silent. Her expression didn't change.

"Liz-san?"

Lily, being genuinely concerned, approached Alice. However...

"Don't come close to me"

"W-What?"

Without replying to Lily's confusion, Alice began leaking tears and sobbing.

"Liz, why are you crying all of a sudden?"

It took another minute until Alice finally could speak.

"Am I useless to you?"

"What? Of course not"

"That monster, Elder, he mentioned a worthless bug. That worthless bug was me, wasn't it?"

Ryu couldn't deny what Alice had just said. At that time, she was the only local of this planet within the group. The rest of the group were a lot stronger than her, including Ryu himself, and Lily who had just gained a new power.

"Unfortunately, I can't deny that"

"Even with the new powers you gave me, I'm still just a deadweight in the end!"

"No, you're not"

"Then tell me, what did I do back there that was even remotely useful?"

"Well, you killed Darkers"

"Small fries that any of you could kill as easily anyway"

"Uhh, you stabilized Demiurge when I got my hands full curing his infection"

"Did it ever occur to you that you could have casted your healing spell first before starting to cure him?"

"Eh? Oh yeah, didn't think that way"

"And then..."

Alice looked at Lily, still with her cheeks soaked in her tears.

"When it mattered the most, I couldn't do anything to save you. I just watched, frozen still, just like that time... when... when I couldn't save my friends!"

Both Ryu and Lily couldn't say anything.

"Look at you. You have changed. You have become stronger in an instant, strong enough for that monster to acknowledge you not as a weak, worthless bug like me"

"Liz-san, I'm still the same person"

"But with power! Now at your strength, if you get into real danger, what will I be able to do to help? Nothing! Now I'm just a deadweight! it's better for me to leave and be done with it!"

 **BAM!**

Both Alice and Lily got shocked by what had just happened. Ryu had slammed his fist at the table near him. With just a glance, it was clear that he was upset.

But then, his expression changed to be as surprised as the other two.

"Ah, what did I do? Sorry about that..."

"Ryu-san. You just looked really upset it scared me. What's the matter?"

"Sorry about that, Lily. It's just..."

Ryu looked at Alice for a second and then he took a deep breath.

"What you said was very similar to what my sister has said... when she wanted to end her own life"

"What!?"

The word came simultaneously from both Lily and Alice.

"Ryu-san, you have a sister?"

"Wait, what happened to her?"

"It's been a while since the last time I saw her, but she should be still fine"

There was a brief silence. Alice took a deep breath like Ryu and regained her calm self.

"Ryu, now that you have mentioned your sister, would you tell me more about yourself? I don't know about Lily, but so far you haven't told me anything much besides the fact that your origin has been erased by a great disaster, which I guess is a Dark Falz attack"

"Yes, you are right. Let's sit down together then"

Soon, the three people sat together on chairs around a medium-sized table. Lily and Alice sat side by side while Ryu sat across them.

"First of all, yes, I have a sister, her name is Hikaru Seika, and I also have a brother, Yukasa Seika. I'm the eldest of three"

Ryu took a deep breath before continuing.

"All three of us are members of ARKS, a military organization founded to exterminate Darkers and Dark Falzes. Our duty is to protect pla... places that are targeted by those. We are part of a team named IGNITE. Before you ask, indeed I took the ARKS team's name for our Ignite Maximus team name"

"I see. So, did the Dark Falz annihilate ARKS?"

"Actually, no. My origin is actually only one base, and there are many more. Elder was most likely weaker than normal because he has been recently defeated by ARKS"

"That's a little reassuring, though on the other side, from your words I can take a guess that Dark Falz is a persistent entity"

"Yes, unfortunately"

"Are people from ARKS going to come here to help against the Dark Falz?"

"They should, but I don't know when. I have little to no memory about how I got here after evacuating myself from that attack"

"Putting that aside, why did Hikaru want to commit suicide? I'm sorry if this is... difficult for you"

Ryu took another deep breath, his mood seemed to get worse a little.

"Both Yukasa and Hikaru had a time when they felt insecure. In any field work they could do well, there was at least one other member of IGNITE better at it. No exception"

There was a brief silence before Ryu continued.

"Yukasa fortunately got better. You see, each registered team in ARKS is given a sapling of a special tree which is hard to nurture. The team leader put his trust on Yukasa to manage the team's activities related to nurturing the tree, like gathering missions for fertilizer materials and such. He put a lot of effort on that management role, and in the end, the sapling became a lush, healthy, and tall tree. He once told me that the tree was one work he could be proud of"

Lily and Alice still kept themselves silent. It was the first time for them to see Ryu talking this much about his background, so they didn't want to interrupt.

"Hikaru on the other hand, was not so lucky. Her body is frail to begin with, her Photon Arts are not optimally aligned, and her weapons are not the best. She never found anything which she could be proud of, and she eventually got driven into the corner. Not by the team, but by her own insecurity"

"And then... she said it the way I did?"

"Yeah... almost the same. You have no idea how hard it was for me and Yukasa to calm her down"

"Did she ever get out of it after that?"

"Yeah, but not really. Pretty much the entire team tried their best to assure her that she was not useless and she will never be a burden. She seemed to accept it, but the two of us knew that she still felt that she was a deadweight"

There was another brief silence before Alice spoke.

"Ryu-san. I'm sorry that I have mistakenly opened an old wound of yours. But, your point is...?"

"You are not a deadweight, Liz. It may seem like that now, but you never know what kind of help you can provide for us in the future"

"Hmm... Alright. Although your case is not the same as mine, I see your point"

"I know, but it is the closest case I have experienced firsthand"

"If I may ask, did Hikaru find her use for the team in the end?"

"Actually, the answer is... both yes and no"

"What?"

"Well... she is useful for the team in a way, but we knew that she would just pout if we tell her, so we never point it out"

Ryu didn't say anything for a minute. Alice began to get a little annoyed by Ryu's hesitation.

"Get to the point. What is it? Though I won't force you if you can't say it"

"Well..."

Ryu's body gesture clearly showed his hesitation.

"...She's cute and adorable, so she kinda becomes the team's mascot"

Ryu felt awkward saying that, while both Alice and Lily seemed dumbfounded by the words they had just heard.

"Pfft!"

Alice then laughed.

"Yeah, I can see why you won't tell her. I don't think I can become your mascot, though. Lily is more suited for that"

"Wha-?"

Lily got surprised by Alice's words, and she seemed to blush at the same time. She looked at Ryu, who observed her closely and nodded.

"Hmm, true"

"Wha-? Ryu-san!"

Lily's face became completely red from blushing at this point. Both Ryu and Alice just laughed. In his heart, Ryu was glad that he had managed to avert a prolonged conflict within the team, although with the cost of revealing his personal background a little. Still, now that they had been mentioned, he began to miss his siblings a little and hoped they were all right.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Singing Apple Pavilion, Arwintar, Noon, Unspecified Date**

Hekkeran entered the tavern of the inn with a rather serious mood. He had just obtained a potential job offer which was particularly a high risk – high reward mission. Even if successful, there was still a risk of having to relocate to another city. He had assigned Arche and Roberdyck to scout for more information related to the job, and now he had to decide whether he should bring his trump card along, in the case the team would accept the job.

"From your face, I'm guessing that there is a big job"

Imina, who had been staying at the tavern as the team's contact person, pretty much had guessed correctly.

"Yep, and we might need to bring Sheep and Rose along"

"Ooh, sounds like a big mission. Shall I call them over, then?"

"Let's wait until Arche and Rober returns, then we can hold a meeting like usual, with both of them along"

Imina nodded. Indeed, despite working for the team, Sheep had only been brought along in jobs involving monster exterminations outside town, which was uncommon for workers to begin with. This was because there was still a risk of the illusion spells used to conceal Sheep's horns and eye getting found out by some suspecting people within the city, especially those from Magician's Guild who were sensitive to lingering magic.

Hekkeran never regretted his decision, though. In the few jobs Sheep had come along, she had shown outstanding power, being able to kill every monsters she encountered in one hit from her sinister-looking bow which she could materialize and de-materialize at will. In addition, Rose had recently got better from her trauma, and it turned out she was very capable of casting arcane magic. Having a powerful trump card and an extra magic caster in reserve would eventually pay off handsomely.

And that was the case with this potential job, which he would never even consider if not for the presence of them.

A little over an hour later, both Arche and Roberdyck arrived at the tavern. Hekkeran immediately stood up and looked at them with hopeful face.

"Did you get the info we might need?"

"We got all we could feasibly get within this short time"

Arche nodded, agreeing with what Roberdyck had just said.

"Let's begin the Foresight Team meeting then. Imina, call them over"

Imina nodded and went upstairs immediately. Soon enough, she returned with both Sheep and Rose, and the whole group went to the corner of the tavern which had been prepared with a large enough table for everyone to sit around, and also the necessary folding wall covers just for their privacy.

"Alright, now we're all here, let's get started"

Hekkeran cleared his throat before he continued his speech.

"This job we are about to take is vastly different than any of the jobs we have taken so far. The reward is high, but the risk is too. Before getting into details, I will begin with a background"

Everyone's eyes were on Hekkeran.

"There is a businessman with the name Rossaur Ratenoir. He is one of the many former nobles who have lost their titles and positions from the purge years ago. Curiously, unlike other former nobles, he still remains rich to this day thanks to his so-called trade business. There have been rumors flying around on this matter, but none so far could be proven, so people pretty much just take it as it is"

Hekkeran stopped to drink a sip of his drink, and then he continued.

"Just recently, Rossaur posted a job at Adventurer's Guild. He is looking for adventurers of high rank to act as temporary security guards for his mansion because he is about to welcome an important guest. Now here is the twist"

Hekkeran cleared his throat again.

"Some of us may already know that Rossaur is suspicious, having retained his wealth despite the purge of nobles executed by the emperor. Does it ring a bell if I say that our client for this time is the guildmaster of Adventurer's Guild?"

"We are going to fake being adventurers..."

Sheep said that reply with a rather sour face. Hekkeran understood that, since from day one she had told the team about her hatred on adventurers.

"Correct. The guildmaster wants to crack down on Rossaur, and he saw this as a chance. Right now, the guild is still doing the usual procedure of appraising the job, so the job is still not posted yet. The guildmaster is intending to hire workers to pose as adventurers for this specific job and also secretly look for incriminating evidence. In short, an undercover job"

"Sounds dangerous"

Imina said that with serious face.

"Yes, the terms and conditions info I got so far is like this. We will be provided Mithril Rank plates for this job and a down payment of 150 gold coins. If the client is satisfied but we fail to retrieve any evidence, we will keep all the rewards from the client, plus some bonus from the guildmaster as hush money, making a total of 350 gold coins. If we succeed in retrieving evidence, we will get additional 300 gold coins on top. Sounds like a nice reward, right? Here's the catch. If we get found out, the guildmaster will feign ignorance and pose us as imposters with forged plates. At best, we will just have to relocate our base of operation to another city. At worst, we will be branded criminals nationwide and if we fail to escape, down to the dungeon we go"

"Wow..."

Imina didn't say much other than that.

"We have until tonight to decide whether we will take the job or not. I was also told that we are the only team told about this job, to make it easier to keep the secret and all, so we don't have to worry about being overtaken by other worker teams. That's all the info I got. Arche, Rober, if you will"

"Alright"

Arche nodded as she said the reply. She then leaned forward and began speaking.

"Before the purge, Rossaur Ratenoir was among the opposing nobles against the emperor. He survived the purge because he surrendered after seeing the bloodbath happening to other opposing nobles. His life was spared, but all his riches were taken away along with his nobility status. Even though people commonly know that he remained rich, the less known fact is that he went through the hard life of a poor man for about a year. Thanks to the fact being mostly unknown, nobody knows how he managed to rise up to his current state. Nowadays, people only know him as a rich merchant dealing in various nationwide trades"

Arche finished her speech, and then she looked at Roberdyck. Everyone else also looked at him, telling that it was his turn to tell about the information he had.

"Since we still follow news around Adventurer's Guild, I believe that, excepting you two, we all know the guildmaster as a diligent man who put a lot of effort to run the guild through its financial troubles. He had gone many lengths to make sure the guild survives, and thanks to that he had a lot of connections to pretty much all big merchants in the city, probably other cities as well. From the rumors and some insider info I could get, it seems that Rossaur Ratenoir is one big donator who has contributed a great amount of funds to the guild. Doesn't this raise a question?"

Hekkeran then replied to the last sentence of Roberdyck's speech.

"Yes, why would the guildmaster go against one of his critical sources of funds? It can't be some stupid reason like 'I don't want my guild to run on dirty money', can it?"

"Right. Unfortunately, this is all the information I got. We only can speculate from this point on"

"Alright, let's recap on all the info we have"

Hekkeran then wrote down the points of information they had so far.

* * *

 _1\. Rossaur Ratenoir is hiring adventurers to become his temporary security guards because he is expecting an important guest._

 _2\. The guildmaster wants to hire workers to pose as adventurers for the job and work undercover._

 _3\. The objective of the undercover workers is to find incriminating evidence which can put Rossaur behind bars._

 _4\. Rossaur Ratenoir is a former noble who had gone from riches to rags and back to riches. How he has done that is unknown._

 _5\. The guildmaster has connections to many big merchants, Rossaur included._

 _6\. Rossaur is one of the biggest donators for the guild._

 _7\. Failure to find evidence is still rewarded. The cover getting blown is what should be avoided._

* * *

"The job doesn't seem to make sense from just this info, does it? By the way..."

Hekkeran looked at the two girls who had been mostly silent so far.

"Sheep, Rose, you two haven't said much yet. Do you have any opinion?"

"Well... Even though you said that it is a stupid reason, it is still a possible reason, isn't it?"

Sheep's reply got Hekkeran thinking. Indeed, such reason actually would still fit with the personality of the guildmaster. His sense of justice was pretty high, so if he suspected a donator running shady business, he would likely investigate. But before he could respond, Roberdyck replied first.

"You have a point. The guildmaster's sense of justice is pretty prominent. However, he is also realistic. He won't compromise the guild's biggest fund source without a strong reason"

"Umm..."

Hekkeran noticed Rose, and asked directly.

"You have an opinion, Rose?"

"Maybe, it is the guest?"

"The guest Rossaur is expecting? It's possible. There's no info at all about this guest. They can be anyone. In any case, we need to decide. Should we take the job?"

Imina was the first to respond to Hekkeran.

"Like I said, it sounds dangerous, and a lot of things are still in the dark to boot. But the payment is nice, so I say we take the risk"

The next was Roberdyck.

"I agree. I can make great use of that much payment. Though I suggest we plan an escape route and meeting point just in case"

Hekkeran then looked at Arche.

"Alright, let's do this"

With that, the vote was concluded. Naturally, Sheep and Rose didn't get any say on the decision since from the beginning the deal was for Sheep to work for Foresight in exchange of food and shelter for both Sheep and Rose.

"Then it is settled. Oh, I forgot to tell why I bring you two along. The thing here is, Rossaur is looking for a group of exactly six adventurers. Without you two, I wouldn't even consider this mission"

"I see..."

Sheep then looked at Rose, who immediately nodded with determined face.

"I will do my best"

"Thank you for cooperating with us, both of you"

Sheep smiled a little, though her face expression still felt quite cold.

"We have a deal, and so I should honor it"

"E-Excuse me... before that, can I ask for a favor?"

Hekkeran and the rest of the team were a little surprised. This was the first time Rose, the traumatized traveler girl who just recently got better, asked for a favor directly. All these times, she had been clinging to Sheep and not saying anything to them. Somehow, this little occasion made them a little happy.

"If it is within our capabilities, sure! What is it?"

"I-I lost my weapon back then... Could you buy me a replacement?"

"Sure, we can buy you a simple one. Is it a magic staff or such?"

"No. I need... two short swords"

"What...?"

The others, including Sheep, couldn't help feeling confused. Rose had clearly displayed her rather excellent capability in casting arcane magic, but she had just asked for physical weapons. What kind of trick could she have in store?

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Alright, with that, vol 6 is fully concluded. I'm aware that I didn't cover quite a number of supporting characters, but otherwise this chapter would be too long for comfort. I can say that in most cases they end up more or less similar to canon, though some differences do exist. For example, Brain never got to give Shalltear a manicure since they didn't meet in this verse. He still becomes Climb's comrade, but their closeness may be different, for better or worse. Eight Fingers still got into the grasp of Nazarick, though the betrayer here is Cocco Doll instead of Hilma. Speaking of Hilma, a later chapter will have her return into the spotlight. Maybe... Eh, don't count on it.**

 **In any case, you have seen that this chapter also includes a prologue of the first filler arc. Good news or bad news, depending on which character you like more, the limelight is going to be shifted away from Ryu's group and Nazarick for a while.**

 **See you again later.**


	44. Chapter 39: Infiltration

**Hi, all! We meet again.**

 **And now it is time to officially begin the first filler arc, starring Meru/Rose, Sheep, and Team Foresight. Sit back and enjoy the ride. At least I sincerely hope so.**

 **Cliffhanger warning, by the way. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **First Day, 06:17**

It was one fine morning in Arwintar. Like in any other cities, the civilians were already up and about, preparing to begin their day. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, and everyone pretty much expected this day to go like their usual days.

That kind of thoughts didn't apply to this group of six people, though.

The Foresight Team, consisting of four workers and two extra members, were walking towards a destination with Mithril Rank plates displayed on their chests. All of them had various degrees of worry and nervousness towards the job they were about to take.

Hekkeran, the acting leader of the group, examined the adventurer plate on him thoroughly over and over again as he walked. He also had done the same to the plates belonging to others. He had found nothing unusual about their plates. Arche had not detected any traces of magic on them either. It was as if all of the plates they had were totally genuine.

"Listen up, everyone. There's no going back at this point. I hope all of you are ready for this"

Everyone else nodded. They had already prepared an escape plan just in case, but there were a lot of unknown factors which could turn everything into a mess. Therefore, they would try their absolute best to avoid that scenario.

They soon arrived at their destination; A grand mansion located within the district of conglomerates which pretty much was only beaten by The Emperor's castle in terms of looks. This mansion was the private property of Rossaur Ratenoir ever since years ago, though this was not the same mansion he had had before the purge. Looking at the grandiose of the mansion, nobody would believe that Rossaur Ratenoir had lived as a poor man even once.

There were two private guards stationed at the front gate of the mansion. The group boldly walked straight to the guards. Naturally, one of the guards responded.

"Halt! What is your business here?"

"Here"

Hekkeran took out a sheet of paper and showed it to the guard. The guard took the paper and read it briefly. The paper was a copy of the job contract provided by the guildmaster.

"So you are the adventurers. Go in then"

The guard then returned the paper to Hekkeran and opened the gate.

"Thank you"

Hekkeran said that as the group walked through the gate. The other guard led them through the garden to the front door or the mansion. The guard opened the door, revealing the spacious interior with regal furnishings. All six of the group were quite astonished by the view that they didn't notice a butler standing by.

"These are the adventurers the boss is looking to hire"

The butler nodded as the guard informed him. The guard left the place afterwards, returning to his position at the front gate.

"Welcome to the residence of Rossaur Ratenoir, adventurers. Let me show you the way"

The group followed the butler to a nearby room which was quite apparent to be the guest room. There were enough seats for more than ten people there, all were seemingly expensive furniture.

"Sit down anywhere you like. I will inform the master. Would you like some drink?"

"Ah, no. We're good"

"Alright then"

The butler then left the room. None of the group seemed to dare sitting on the luxurious seat, so they just stood still. It didn't take long until someone came.

 **BANG!**

The door opened violently, putting everyone in the group into alert stance with their hands ready to draw their weapon. The one who opened the door was a man about as tall as Roberdyck, but slightly more slender. The man's hair was grey from old age and some wrinkles were visible on his face, but he radiated an aura which screamed that he was still not too old yet. The man had a monocle over his left eye, and his clothing was befitting of a rich man in the empire. The butler from before was standing beside him.

" **What the hell are you all standing there for!? Those seats are not just for show! Sit down!"**

The man shouted with loud and heavy voice, which staggered pretty much everyone there.

"Ah, sorry, Sir. I just thought it wouldn't be appropriate to dirty your..."

" **Cut the talk and sit down!"**

The man entered the room and immediately sat down on one of the seats. He sat in a lax manner which would have been absolutely rude anywhere else, with his feet on the center table. Everyone else reluctantly sat down in the most polite manner they could, while also being careful not to accidentally break or rip something with their equipment. The seats felt really comfortable, living up their grand looks, but the atmosphere was still too unsettling for the comfort to matter.

The old man examined each and everyone of the group from his seat. The gaze from his eyes felt quite unsettling, and Hekkeran was quite worried he would immediately find out that they were not real adventurers.

" **Two guys and four girls. Quite a composition you have there!"**

The old man laughed after saying that. Hekkeran naturally didn't say anything about the fact that the composition was like that because of the two extra girl members.

" **Let's get to the point! Like the job description says, I'm expecting a guest who will come in three days! Your job is to patrol the mansion and make sure everything is secure!"**

From his recent speech, it was easy to conclude that this man was Rossaur Ratenoir, the group's client as adventurers, and also the group's target as workers.

Rossaur then repositioned himself into a more normal sitting position and put several sheets of paper on the table.

" **Further details are there! If you have questions ask my butler Lavitz!"**

Without giving the group any chance to reply, Rossaur stood up and hurriedly walked away from the room. The butler remained in the room as he closed the door.

"As you may know already, my name is Lavitz. If you have any questions, I will answer with the best of my knowledge"

Hekkeran acknowledged with a slight nod, and then he proceeded to read the papers alongside the rest of the group. Basically, the group was assigned to patrol both the garden and the inside of the mansion all day long, therefore splitting shifts was recommended. In the day when the guest would come, the group would shift their role into the guest's bodyguards for the rest of their job period, which would end once the guest went home. Food and place to sleep would be provided as necessary during the job period.

The sheets of paper also included a copy of the mansion's floor plan complete with markings on private areas which they were not allowed to come to, thus it was easier for the group to plan their patrol routes. It would take some time to plan the routes due to the size of the mansion and the garden. Therefore Hekkeran asked a question.

"Sir Lavitz, when do we officially begin our work?"

"As soon as you are ready. Preferably before lunch time. Also, you can call me just by name"

"I see"

Hekkeran then looked at the other members of his group.

"So, what do you guys think? We can split into three groups of two switching every 8 hours, or two groups of three switching every 12 hours"

"Three groups of two. No question"

Imina's immediate reply made every other Foresight members thinking, and none of them took long to understand the reason. By dividing into three groups, the two not on active duty would have plenty of time to rest as necessary and also try scouring information about possible lead to accomplish their undercover mission. The downside was that the combat capability of each group would be rather low in the case they encountered hostiles and the other groups may not be able to reach them quickly.

That downside would be mitigated by using the other configuration of two trios, but in that case it would be more difficult to make progress in their undercover mission since there would be only three people with 12 hours of free time instead of four potential people with 16 hours, still without taking into account that a large portion of the free time would be used to have the necessary sleep. Also, with three groups it would be easier to circulate info within the team as a whole.

"I see, others?"

Hekkeran looked at Arche and Roberdyck who immediately nodded, signifying their agreement. He also looked at Sheep and Rose even though they had no say on this matter. This was to make them look as equals to the eyes of onlookers, in this particular case was the butler Lavitz. This way of behavior had been agreed upon beforehand, so Sheep and Rose just nodded the same way as Arche and Roberdyck.

"I see that everyone agreed. Three groups of two then. Now, about how we will split..."

Hekkeran fell into deep thought about how the team should split. With two personnels per group, the combat capability would be limited. Also, putting Sheep and Rose in the same group would be out of question because the fact still remained that they were outsiders whom he could not fully trust yet.

Right now, Foresight consisted of two melee fighters and two ranged fighters. It was common knowledge to have a balanced group so that each member could cover the weakness of another, therefore each group should have one melee and one ranged. However, right now they had two outsiders and both of them were ranged, with Sheep using a bow and Rose using arcane magic. This meant the group as a whole had two melee and four ranged, and at this rate one group would have to risk it and be consisted of two ranged fighters. Rose was equipped with two simple short swords as she had requested, so there was a chance she was also a capable melee fighter, but there was no telling how capable she was in that matter.

Hekkeran didn't want to waste too much time, so he made a decision quickly.

"First group will be me and Imina. Second group will be Rose and Roberdyck. Sheep and Arche will be the third group"

"It's not like I disagree, but is there a reason for this setup?"

"You see, Arche. You and Sheep make the best pair, in combat I mean"

The actual reason for that pairing was for Arche to be able to maintain the illusion magic on Sheep as necessary. It would be very bad if the spells expired and Arche was not nearby to reapply them.

"Oh, I see"

Thankfully, Arche seemed to understand the intent behind the pairing.

"Next, Roberdyck and Rose. I don't mean to offend, but Rose is currently the weakest link in the team in terms of combat, so I want Roberdyck who is our best tanker to assist Rose and provide cover as necessary"

"Alright, that makes sense"

Roberdyck said that while nodding. Actually, with her capability in casting destructive elemental spells, Rose could very well be a lot stronger than Arche. However, he had to take into account the fact that right now Lavitz was listening to their meeting and might report his findings to Rossaur later. With this somewhat false info the team would have a hidden surprise in their sleeves.

"That leaves me and Imina, so no question about that"

Everyone nodded, and with that the party was set. Hekkeran then stood up and approached Lavitz.

"We are almost ready to begin work, but before that we would like to ask a few questions"

"I will answer your questions with the best of my knowledge"

"Is Sir Rossaur under some kind of threat? I feel that we need to know what to expect"

"Master Rossaur has had several attempts on his well-being over the past years, so he is always under threat. I have no specific knowledge about this, but the coming guest will make a very important deal and some people out there might feel threatened"

"Where do we sleep? I believe the group for night shifts should rest for now to prepare"

"Then allow me to lead you there"

The group then followed Lavitz outside the mansion to a small hut located at one corner of the mansion's garden. The hut was made from wood and its size was about equal to your average village house. Inside the hut was fairly clean and furnished, and there were enough beds for everyone. The mansion was just a stone's throw from the hut, and there was a door which could be used to enter the mansion right there.

"Right there is the side entrance of the mansion. Master Rossaur trusted me to lend you the spare key of that door. Be sure to lock the door again whenever you go past it"

Lavitz then presented a plain-looking key and gave it to Hekkeran.

"Food and drink will be delivered to this hut three times a day. Is there anything else you need?"

"None for now"

"Then I shall take my leave. If you need something, you can find me inside the mansion"

Lavitz then bowed and left the place. Right now, the group was effectively alone, so it seemed to be a good time to talk about the more sensitive topic. However, letting their guard down would never be a good idea.

"Arche, Imina"

Hekkeran looked at Arche and Imina, and made a simple gesture with his head, signaling them to check the surroundings and see if they were being watched, either directly or through some scrying magic. Both of them nodded, signifying that they understood and so they began scanning around. The rest of the group kept themselves silent as the two did their work

It took just three minutes until both of them showed a relieved face.

"I sense no scrying magic or such around"

"We're clear. We can talk all we want"

"Alright then. Let's sit together and have a quick meeting"

As instructed by Hekkeran, all six of the group sat on the available seats, either chairs or the beds. Hekkeran then began speaking after seeing that everyone else were ready.

"So, what do you guys think so far?"

"Well, if you ask me, the job seems simple enough"

Imina replied, though it was clear that she felt something strange.

"Indeed, but something feels strange"

Roberdyck said that with his arms folded.

"They are too trusting..."

"Right. You have a point, Sheep"

Indeed, the way their job was presented, and the fact that now they were left alone to their devices without any kind of surveillance was weird. It should have been common sense that whenever you hire some strangers to do something for you, they should not be fully trusted from day one like what had just happened. Even though the group was supposed to be a team of Mithril Rank adventurers, anyone with enough common sense would keep them under watch to make sure they would do their job properly, at least for the first day.

"What could be the reason?"

Roberdyck spoke the question out, which nobody had a definite answer for.

"I don't think it's because he really trusts us, is it?"

Everyone made a slight nod, agreeing with Arche's remarks.

"Definitely not that. Someone who could rise from rags to riches like him wouldn't trust anyone easily. Something is really fishy here"

"It seems that they don't care whatever we do here, don't you think?"

"Yeah, Imina. I have a hunch, but I can't prove that of course"

"Tell us anyway. We're still clear as far as I can see"

Hekkeran then looked around a bit and lowered his stance, giving a hand gesture for everyone else to come closer. Once everyone were close enough, he whispered to everyone else.

"We might have been set up as pawns for some kind of conspiracy"

"Whoa, that's quite a bomb you dropped there, Leader"

"But it actually sounds plausible... though I hope you're wrong this time"

Roberdyck and Arche looked pretty worried as they said their opinions.

"S-Should we back out?"

Rose asked the question, showing her worry. Hekkeran gave an answer immediately.

"No, we're already too far into this. Backing out will raise suspicion on us and complicates things in the future"

"So, what should we do?"

Now it was Sheep who asked, with a cold face expression and somewhat unpleasant tone.

"We play dumb and do our patrol job as instructed, while keeping our eyes open to any information we can get in the meantime"

"Alright, but one thing..."

Sheep then looked at Roberdyck with quite a death glare. There was no actual malice coming from her, but it was still pretty intimidating.

"You better keep her safe"

"Y-Yeah, leave it to me!"

Roberdyck replied with a confident tone after recovering from his slight shock. Hekkeran knew Roberdyck would keep his words since it was common knowledge for the team that Roberdyck held a high sense of justice and honor. If he said he would keep Rose safe, he would do it with all his might. Nevertheless, it was something he must do anyway since displeasing Sheep would be a very bad idea.

"Right, I just remembered that we still haven't decided on which group on which shift"

Hekkeran tried to divert the topic a little. It didn't take long to decide that Hekkeran and Imina would take the night shift since Imina's abilities as a Ranger would compensate the lack of illumination at night without using magic. Roberdyck and Rose would take the morning shift, and finally Arche and Sheep would take the afternoon shift.

"Let's survey the area until lunch time, and then we will officially begin our job"

Everyone nodded, and then they all began walking around the garden and the inside of the mansion. They compared the map they had with the actual place, and they found that the map was sufficiently accurate. The areas marked as forbidden were mostly at the second floor, so they pretty much only need to patrol the corridors there. For the first floor, they would have to enter a lot of rooms such as the kitchen and storage room.

The survey went without a hitch, and the group officially began their job as patrolling security guards. Due to the time, it was Roberdyck and Rose who went first while the others went back to the hut. Since Hekkeran and Imina would be active throughout the night, taking a nap now would be a good idea. However, there were still a few things he had to plan for before that.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Second Day, 14:50**

Nearby the hut where the team stayed, there was a wooden bench placed right under a large, lush tree. The bench was wide enough for three persons to sit comfortably. With the sunny weather, relaxing on the bench would be a bliss.

Right now, there were two girls sitting on the bench. One of them seemed to be unpleasantly anxious while the other felt uneasy with that behavior of her partner. They were waiting for the time to switch with the currently active group, which was Rose-Roberdyck group.

"Uhh, Sheep, can we... talk?"

"What is it... Arche?"

"Are you still worried? About Rose I mean"

"Isn't that obvious...?"

"Indeed, and to be honest... you remind me of myself when I got worried over my little sisters"

Sheep seemed slightly surprised hearing that.

"...You have sisters?"

"Yes. Twins. Come to think about it, we still don't know each other well. Would you like us to talk more, about ourselves?"

Sheep didn't say anything in response. She just stared at Arche with a confused look. It took a little while until she uttered one word.

"Why...?"

"I just feel that I want to know more about you. We didn't talk much other than about the job yesterday, but seeing you worried about Rose all the time like that made me believe that you are actually a good person"

"You can't make a judgement from a single point, you know..."

"Which is the reason why I want to know you more"

Hearing what Arche just said, Sheep was silent for a few seconds before she let out a little smile.

"Heh, you have a point. Ask me anything then"

Arche felt delighted with Sheep's response. She then immediately asked away.

"I'm sorry about this, but... What are you actually, Sheep?"

Sheep was silent. Her expression didn't change much, but it was visible that the question felt unpleasant for her.

"I won't force you if you don't want to talk about it"

"Well, try guessing first"

"Uhh, a demon from a far away land? I don't know much about it"

Sheep just smiled hearing that. Her smile was not exactly a pleasant one.

"I used to be human"

Arche was quite surprised hearing that. She had never heard about a human turning demon before.

"W-What? How? Why?"

"I was abducted by this bastard, Luther. He had an experiment project of fusing the essence of creatures into humans to create strong warriors under his bidding. In my case, a dragon"

What Sheep had just said was a giant bombshell drop for Arche. She had never heard of such crazy experiment happening anywhere, and it was naturally hard to believe. But seeing the overwhelming strength Sheep had, she pretty much had to take it as truth.

"I somehow escaped from his grasp, but I was already no longer human by then"

"Sheep, I'm sorry..."

"You don't need to feel sorry for me. Luther is now dead. He won't be a bother anymore"

Sheep let out a sigh as she said it, which made Arche felt uneasy.

"Did you... kill him?"

"It was not me, but can we talk about something else?"

Sheep seemed pretty bothered with the ongoing topic, and Arche just realized that

"Ah, right. Sorry..."

"Still, I have to thank you"

"What?"

Sheep now displayed a warm smile to Arche's confusion.

"Your illusion magic, they made me remember how I looked like when I was still human. The look I have forgotten over the years. So yeah... Thank you, Arche"

Arche was speechless hearing what Sheep had just said. She had casted those spells merely for business purposes, but it turned out that the spells had a much more significant meaning. She had a sudden feeling of accomplishment, but she didn't celebrate it. To be exact, she couldn't. It was because the accidental accomplishment she had just made was too emotional for her to handle. As the result, Arche leaked a drop of tears.

"Ah, Arche? What's the matter?"

Arche quickly wiped her tears off.

"Sorry, Sheep. I was just so happy for you"

"Oh..."

"Anyway, Sheep. Why are you here on this land? Your outfit doesn't look anything like any outfit from around here, so I suppose you came from far away. You had a purpose before meeting Rose, didn't you?"

Sheep was silent for a few seconds before she replied.

"I was looking for someone"

"Who?"

"My shepperd"

"What...?"

Sheep sighed a little bit hearing Arche's confused remark.

"My missing brother"

Arche got surprised by the answer.

"You have a brother?"

"I have three. Two younger, and one older. I'm the only girl"

"Sounds quite hard"

Arche's remark came from her imagining a life of being the only girl in the middle of male siblings. Depending on the parents, the love and care on them would have been likely to become unbalanced in favor of either gender. But in either case, the sole girl would get the short end of the stick. If she was the unfavorite, there's no question about that. On the other hand, if she was the loved one, she would likely become the target of envy from her brothers.

"Not really. We are all close. But, can we just leave it at that? I have put that objective aside for now anyway"

"Alright, if you say so"

Arche actually wanted to know more, but she didn't want to push too far. She had just learned a lot about Sheep already anyway, which was a big leap. Before this, Sheep had always been cold and silent, talking to the team only when necessary. Seeing her talking about herself like this felt refreshing for Arche, and she began to see Sheep in a new light.

"By the way, Sheep. You don't need to worry too much about Rose. Roberdyck will protect her with all his might in the case something bad happens"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, he might look like that, but he loves children, in a good way. It's not like we're treating Rose like a child after she showed her powers back then, but Roberdyck is probably seeing her in the same light as those orphanage kids he has been caring for"

"Wait, what?"

Sheep looked genuinely surprised. Arche noticed it and quickly assumed that Sheep had been thinking of Foresight team as a bunch of money-seeking mercenaries, which was actually true. However, she still didn't know yet about the depth beyond that description. Therefore, Arche wanted to try and see if she could make Sheep see them in a new light, just like how Sheep had made Arche do that.

"We might be workers, but each of us has a reason for seeking money. Roberdyck in particular, he donated most of his cut to orphanages across the city. Hekkeran and Imina, they are lovers, so I assume they are saving up for their old age. As for me..."

Arche stopped speaking. She didn't really want to talk about the problem in her family, so she hesitated for a moment.

"I have a little problem in my house, and I hope to overcome it with the money I get"

"Oh..."

"Let's just put that aside. I... don't really want to talk about it"

"Tell me about your sisters then, if you would"

"Sure. Like I said before, they are twins. Ureirika and Kuuderika, we have a large age gap so they are still small"

"How large?"

"Ten years at least. I unfortunately lost my birth record so..."

"Are they... cute?"

"Yes, of course! They are the cutest, most adorable sisters I've ever had!"

"Do they look like you?"

"If you ask me, yes I think. We have similar hair and eyes"

"So... you're cute?"

"Wha...?"

Arche just realized that she had been tricked into indirectly saying that she was cute. Arche's face turned red from embarrassment, while Sheep just giggled.

"Oh, come on, Sheep!"

Despite what had just happened, Arche felt happy seeing the change in Sheep's behaviour. It was clear for her that Sheep had just begun to trust her more, with her cracking out a small joke like that.

"By the way, Sheep"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you called Sheep? It doesn't sound like a real name if you ask me"

"Well, back home everyone called me that thanks to this hat. I kinda got used to it"

"Figures. Would you tell me your actual name?"

"Hmm... Nah. I prefer this simple, one syllable nickname"

"If you say so, alright"

Arche and Sheep continued their idle chat for a few more minutes, and then the two members of the active group came. Both Sheep and Arche noticed them as Roberdyck waved his hand.

"It's time to switch"

"Right. So, did you find anything out of the ordinary?"

"Nothing in particular. We checked every room along our patrol route and we also had some talks with a few staffs like the gardener, cook, and maid. Everything was just like any normal day"

"Alright, leave it to us now. Have a nice rest"

While Arche and Roberdyck conversed, Sheep approached Rose, and after just a few seconds of silence she smiled and gave Rose a gentle head rub.

"Good work, Rose"

"Uhh... Thanks, but... would you not do that? It's... embarrassing"

Rose blushed as she said it. Without realizing it themselves, Arche and Roberdyck had been looking at the scene with their mouths slightly agape. It was when Sheep glanced at them that they finally noticed their doing, and so they quickly averted their eyes.

"A-Anyway, it's our turn. So let's go, Sheep"

"Alright"

Sheep released her hand from Rose's head as she said that.

"Be careful..."

"Don't worry, Rose. We will be fine"

Roberdyck then gave the borrowed key to Arche, and the group went away to do their shift.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Second Day, 19:05**

The hut where Team Foresight stayed during the job had a magic illumination system put in place. It could be switched on and off by simply voicing out the order to do so. However, the magic didn't discriminate the person saying it, and it was also quite sensitive. Thus, sometimes accidental switching could happen, which was just a minor annoyance but still annoying regardless.

Right now, the four people not on active duty were sitting around a simple rectangular table under the illumination. They were having dinner provided by the mansion staff which would have been an ordinary meal course for the mansion residents, but for Foresight team the meal was above their standards.

"So far, we found nothing unusual"

Hekkeran broke the silence by giving a remark on the progress of their undercover mission. He still had to be careful in talking since this time Arche was not around to detect scrying magic.

"Isn't it good, though?"

Roberdyck replied. Hekkeran wasn't sure if he understood the meaning of the remark and just playing along, or he really didn't catch the drift.

Hekkeran decided to continue conversing carefully anyway, hoping that either Roberdyck or Imina would catch the actual meaning.

"Not really. We might get less pay if we end up doing nothing, right?"

"You have a point, but still... We searched pretty much every nook and cranny whenever possible. If there's nothing, what can we do?"

Imina's reply was spot on. There had been no evidence found for both aspects of their current job.

"Probably need to search more carefully. We never know what kind of preparation stuffs perpetrators have already planted in the mansion, if those exists in the first place"

Roberdyck folded his arms hearing Hekkeran's words.

"If those exists, I hope they didn't put it in that child's room"

"What? Who? What child?"

"Well, at noon, we saw a little girl, about five or six years old, alone at the second floor hallway. She was... very beautiful for her age. Her blonde hair looked silky smooth, and her round green eyes glimmered like stars. She wore an expensive looking dress and she was hugging a small doll which somewhat looked like herself. I suppose she is Rossaur's grandchild or such. She's too young to be his daughter"

"...Did you talk to her?"

"No, she just briefly looked at us with straight face and went away into a room which is a forbidden area in the map, so we just continued patrolling"

"Hmm..."

Hekkeran fell into deep thought. He had never heard of Rossaur having a grandchild, or any known living relatives. Rossaur had a wife, but as far as information goes, he never had any offspring. Also, his wife disappeared after the purge. There were rumors saying that the wife ran away from home and never returned, but rumors being rumors, there were no confirmation at all.

"Try talking to her if you see her again. That is, if you're curious"

"Worth a try. Maybe she can give us some useful info"

"Nobody knows for sure"

The group then continued their dinner while having some idle chat about trivial things. There were still several hours left until the time to switch, so Hekkeran went to the bedroom to have a quick snooze.

Later that night, several minutes before the time agreed upon for switching, Hekkeran and Imina were waiting while sitting on the bench under the tree near the hut. The surroundings were dark all around, but the client was generous enough to provide them several of a magic item which could act as a light source at night like this. It was pretty much the same as pocket [Continual Light] which could last for hours. Imina could see in the dark as a Ranger though, and having a light source would give their position away to the enemy, but any hostiles who intended to sneak into the mansion in the dead of night would prepare some kind of dark vision anyway, so it would likely be pointless to literally keep himself in the dark.

Several minutes passed.

"They're late"

"It's still within range. Let's wait a little longer"

In order to make the loop of their patrol routes less predictable, Hekkeran had instructed other groups to make random turns once in a while, including going back to a place they had just gone to recently. As the result, completing the route and returning to the meeting point might ended up taking longer than planned. So being slightly late was expected for any group.

However, more and more minutes passed by. Arche and Sheep, none of the two had returned yet. At this point, both Hekkeran and Imina began to assume the worse.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Second Day, 23:27**

"Uhh..."

Arche felt really uncomfortable as she slowly regained her consciousness. She usually never slept with all her adventure attire on. She also didn't remember falling asleep sitting on the floor while leaning to a hard wall. Her eyelids felt too heavy to open, so she tried raising her hand to rub her eyes.

But she couldn't.

Something kept her arms held behind her back. Not only that. She also couldn't move her legs apart. This was the point her eyes snapped open, her consciousness fully returned to her in shock.

She was all tied up inside what seemed like a prison cell, which was illuminated with dim magic light.

Her wrists were tied together with what felt like steel manacles behind her back. The same also applied to her legs, which were shackled together at the ankle parts of her boots. On top of that, a single steel manacle had been put around her neck with a short chain tethering it to the wall, effectively preventing her to move anywhere.

"S-Someone! Help!"

Arche yelled for help, even though deep inside she knew it would be futile. She just thought that she had to try anything to make something happen, and with her limbs restrained, yelling was her only option.

And then she realized, that someone had been watching her all this time from right behind the barred door of the cell.

It was a little girl, about the same age as Arche's little sisters. Her blonde hair looked silky smooth and her green eyes were staring at Arche with a total lack of expression. The doll in the girl's embrace was quite a likeness of her. Through her talent of being able to see magic aura, Arche could see a quite overwhelming aura coming out from the mysterious little girl.

Whoever, or whatever this girl was, she was dangerous...

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Just to make it clear, their agreed upon times to change shifts are 7:00, 15:00, and 23:00**

 **I'm not good at this, but for once I'm going to 'reply' to the comments of the previous chapter.**

* * *

 **DanielSilverjay:** It was my pleasure. Thank you for reading my side hobby.

 **rmarcano:** As usual, I still can't fathom your message.

 **MajorShipper:**

Yeah, it was a little short, but I believed going straight to the point would be the way to go.

I admit that I waited too long to reveal that backstory of Ryu. So yeah, thanks for reminding me.

Well, I hope you will find the coming arc of them enjoyable.

 **MadDan:** Well, I don't need to repeat our chat, do I? XD

 **Vatsal:** Thanks. I feel honored. I will try my best to keep the streak going.

 **UndeadLord:** Well, yeah. There will be a lot of things happening in this arc. And yes, Nazarick will return to the spotlight eventually.

 **Narwastu:** Thanks. I do admit that the first few chapters feel quite 'meh' if I look at them again.

* * *

 **See you again later!**


	45. Chapter 40: Straightforward Questioning

**Hello again!**

 **Welp, my PC got fried by a lightning strike. Thankfully, only the power supply part got damaged. It shouldn't take too long to get a replacement, hopefully.**

 **Regardless of my personal woe story, here's the next chapter. Cliffhanger is there, but on a much lighter note than the previous chapter.**

 **See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Second Day, 23:20**

"This is already way too late"

"Right. Something must have happened to them"

Hekkeran and Imina looked at each other and went back to the hut. Both Rose and Roberdyck were already asleep on their beds at this time, but the situation has changed so Imina woke Roberdyck up.

"Hey, wake up. We got a situation"

Roberdyck's eyes quickly snapped open, and he went up into sitting position on the bed. He was wearing ordinary clothes as his sleepwear, so it would naturally take some time until he became ready for duty. Rose on the other hand, was sleeping in her full attire, alien-looking boots and all, including the hat, yet she didn't seem to have any discomfort with that. The team had been wondering about it for a while, but they just concluded that she was wearing some kind of magic attire which included such life quality.

"This quickly?"

While asking that question, Roberdyck quickly went to the spot where he had put his gears and began getting changed.

"Yes. Sheep and Arche are way too late. Keep watch here while the two of us scout the situation for info. If we're not back in 15 minutes, assume the worst and flee"

"Alright. Be careful out there, Leader"

Hekkeran and Imina looked at each other and nodded, then they left the hut. They silently walked through the garden into the front entrance since they didn't have the key of the side entrance. During the night, the front door had two private guards stationed right in front of it in addition to the two guards at the entrance gate. The door was locked, but a spare key of the door was entrusted to one of the guards.

Hekkeran boldly walked to the guards, and both of them were not fazed at all.

"Hello there, Mr. Adventurer. Your shift now, I assume?"

"Yep, would you care to open the door for me?"

"Why the front door tonight?"

"Gotta make our patrol routes unpredictable to potential enemies after all"

"Alright, that makes sense"

The guard then unlocked the door and opened it.

"In you go"

"Thank you, Valek"

Hekkeran and Imina entered the mansion without trouble. Hekkeran was glad that befriending one of the guards yesterday had shown its benefit, though he was not really fond of the fact that a situation had come up for him to use that benefit.

It was a given that the mansion had become dark at this hour. All the residents and staffs were already asleep, and so the ones awake were only the night shift guards outside.

Hekkeran took an illumination magic tool from his bag and activated it. It functioned the same way as a torch, but without the heat and potential fire hazard. For Hekkeran, it was still not enough to provide clear vision of his surroundings. However, for Imina it was quite a godsend, enabling her recon skills as Ranger to function more effectively than in a total darkness.

Imina then took out an item from her bag. It was a magic item which she and Hekkeran had bought in preparation for a case when a member went missing without explanation. Its form was a small bag filled with powdery substance. This item was a magic consumable named Tracker Wisp Powder. By applying a tiny part of a certain person into the bag beforehand, be it a strand of hair, a drop of sweat, a drop of blood, or anything similar, the powder would provide a limited guidance towards the tracks of the person in question as long as they had been there quite recently.

Imina checked to make sure this one bag was the one set for Arche, and then she threw a small amount of the substance up in the air.

The thrown substance glowed green like a bunch of tiny wisps and spread to all directions. Seconds later, some spots on the floor started to glow green in the shape of footprints. Some glowed slightly brighter than others.

Imina approached the the brighter spots and threw some more of the substance in the air. More footprints showed up, and the two began to follow the footprints.

The footprints guided them to the hallway of the second floor. Both Hekkeran and Imina walked very slowly and cautiously, their senses put into overdrive for any possible ambush coming at them.

And then, the track ended with a very apparent sign.

The last glowing spot of the track was a complete silhouette of Arche flat on the floor instead of footprints, in a pose which was clearly telling them that she had been knocked unconscious right there and then brought away somewhere, most likely along with Sheep as well. There were no more tracks afterwards.

"Hey, over there"

Imina noticed something on the floor and went to pick it up. It was the side entrance key.

"Let's go back right away. It's too dangerous for just two of us now"

Imina nodded hearing Hekkeran's remark, and the two immediately went back. They had just confirmed that Arche and Sheep had been abducted during their patrol, and it was also confirmed that there were enemies inside the mansion. They now could no longer put any trust towards anyone there.

Thankfully, Hekkeran and Imina managed to get out of the mansion safely through the side entrance. After locking the door, they walked fast towards the hut, fearing that the enemies might have attacked the hut while they were inside the mansion.

Hekkeran cautiously opened the door, and right in the room behind the door there was Roberdyck, still standing guard. Rose was also there sitting on a nearby chair. Roberdyck seemed to be delighted seeing Hekkeran and Imina.

"Great! You made it back!"

Without saying anything, Hekkeran closed the door and locked it after Imina went in.

"Unfortunately, we have bad news"

At this point, Hekkeran believed there was no need to speak in code. An enemy within the mansion had captured two members of the team, so they naturally would expect the remaining members to get alerted. Continuing to play dumb would not be a good course of action.

"We have confirmed that both Arche and Sheep have been captured. Most likely through an ambush or sneak attack which knocked them out instantly"

Both Rose and Roberdyck didn't hide their surprise.

"Damn... So what should we do now?"

"It's difficult to take any action without any information. Like, we are still in the dark-"

 _Sssszzz_

Suddenly, the room became totally dark. Everyone got alerted by the sudden darkness, but within a few seconds one of them remembered why it happened.

"Light!"

With one word from Imina, the room's illumination returned. The hut's oversensitive lighting system had received the word 'dark' from Hekkeran's speech and turned the lights off in response. After a bit of annoyed expression, Hekkeran resumed his speech.

"We still don't have any information regarding the objectives of the enemy. Also..."

Hekkeran was silent for a brief moment, and then he glanced at Rose.

"With Sheep's strength, shouldn't she be able to break out of confinement?"

"Uhh..."

Rose hesitated, but then she spoke up.

"P-Please don't think of Sheep so highly. She might be strong, but like me, she has no magic resistance..."

The words got Hekkeran thinking. Indeed he and the other members of the team had been thinking very highly of Sheep's combat strength, but they had been neglecting the fact that anyone had a weakness somewhere, and for Sheep's case it was magic resistance. Humans normally didn't have any magic resistance without specialized job skill or equipment, but some monsters possessed innate magic resistance or outright magic immunity. He had been falsely assuming that Sheep, being a kind of demon, would have some magic resistance. But with what Rose had just said, if Sheep was restrained with some kind of debilitating magic, she would be as helpless as any other human.

Roberdyck got slightly annoyed by Hekkeran's silence.

"Leader, the longer we don't take action, the more dangerous it will become for Arche and Sheep"

Roberdyck spoke his opinion out. He looked serious and also concerned.

"You have a point. Let's just break down our options into two; Act immediately or wait and see what happens next"

"Act immediately!"

Both Roberdyck and Imina answered in unison. Hekkeran nodded with a little smile.

"Alright. For starter, let's raid Rossaur's bedroom and question him, since he was suspicious from the beginning. Just to make sure, are you all ready for the risks involved? The worst case scenario most likely will become true after this"

"No question about that, Leader. Arche is our comrade, and we all have been through thick and thin together. I will take all risk for her"

Roberdyck answered with a confident pound on his chest.

"Took the words out of my mouth"

Imina said with a confident grin.

"Alright, team. Let's go!"

As Hekkeran and Imina walked out of the hut's door, Roberdyck gave Rose a pat on the back.

"Don't worry, Rose. We didn't forget about Sheep. We will save her too"

Rose smiled, being assured by Roberdyck's words.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Second Day, 23:31**

"W-Who are you!?"

Arche, still being confined and restrained in the prison cell, asked in surprise. She had never seen the little girl in front of her before.

The little girl didn't give any answer.

"It's no use..."

Arche got startled by the voice from right next to her at the left. She had been too distraught on her situation that she had been unaware of the fact that Sheep was right next to her, restrained in the same way.

"I came to a few minutes earlier than you and asked the same question, but that girl just kept staring at us silently..."

Right after Sheep said it, the mysterious girl seemed to notice something, but not on the two captives since the girl's eyes glanced upward very briefly at that moment. Without saying anything, the girl turned away and disappeared into the dark corridor outside the prison cell.

"Nggh!"

Arche tried to struggle against the bondage, but it was of no use. The shackles were rigid, firmly holding her wrists horizontally behind her back with her left wrist being the one at the bottom. Trying too hard would only serve to hurt herself.

[Lesser Break Item]

Arche tried casting a spell which she had learned in case of getting tied up like this. The spell would disintegrate a part of a target object, but it was limited in a way that the target item had to be fragile enough to begin with. She had tested the spell a few times with the help of her partners, and it had been enough to break herself free from bondage by making a cut to the ropes.

However, as she had feared from the beginning, she didn't feel the shackles getting any looser. The spell was not enough to damage steel shackles. Not being able to see if she had made any progress didn't help either.

"Sheep, can you move a little and show me the shackles on your wrists?"

Without saying anything, Sheep moved her body a little so that her back faced to Arche. Arche couldn't get a closer look since both of them had their neck shackled to the wall, preventing them to get closer. But she still could see the shackles being most likely the same as the one binding her wrists.

"Sheep, I'm gonna try casting a spell to break the shackle. Hold still"

"Hold still, heh. Funny"

Arche laughed a little hearing Sheep's reply. Indeed, there was no need at all to tell a tied up person to hold still. This was not a good time to laugh, but it helped to lighten up the mood a little even though the situation didn't change at all.

[Lesser Break Item]

Nothing happened. Arche could not even sense any trace of magic going to the shackle, but she clearly felt her mana diminishing.

This was the point where Arche realized the futility of her effort.

The shackles were enchanted to absorb and nullify magic.

"Ah, dammit!"

Arche shouted in frustration.

"So we are now damsels in distress, eh?"

Sheep said it as she returned to the position of her back leaning flat to the wall. She sounded calm, too calm in fact.

"How can you be so calm in this situation!?"

"I'm used to this already"

"Eh, what?"

Arche was confused at first, but then she immediately remembered Sheep's terrible past.

"Oh... Back then..."

"Yeah... Back then, I was as frustrated as you. Struggling to break free, shouting for help, but nothing ever happened. For Luther, everything I did was just a laughing stock"

"How did you escape then?"

"I have no idea. It was just suddenly, without explanation, the shackles holding me inside that wretched lab broke off. More precisely, it seemed as if those shackles were slashed open with a blade"

"What? Doesn't that mean someone invisible helped you?"

"Probably, but I have never found out who, or what. Anyway..."

"Huh?"

Sheep was silent for a bit before she spoke again.

"You seemed to be very intimidated when you saw that girl. As if you saw something very powerful. Did you see something I didn't?"

"Ah yes, I haven't told you and Rose yet. I have this Talent, which allows me to see how strong someone's magic capability is. From seeing that girl, I knew I would have little to no chance fighting against her"

"So our enemy is really that little girl, eh? This is bad"

"Huh? Couldn't catch your drift"

"The others most likely won't suspect a little girl being the enemy"

"Ah, you're right. I'm the only one who can see through her cover, yet I'm stuck here. Dammit!"

Arche shouted in frustration again. Getting captured like this was a fatal failure on her part. She had failed the team, and now she had also potentially brought the downfall of the team.

Less than a minute later, when Arche seemed to calm down, Sheep spoke again.

"By the way, about your Talent, have you seen how strong Rose is with that?"

"That is one puzzle which confused me. Her energy is... different. I couldn't make any measurements on her"

"How come"

"Let me put it this way. My Talent allows me to see the magic potential of people in the form of fire-like aura around them, usually colored blue. The bigger and brighter the aura, the stronger their magic potential is. Now, what would you think if I said Rose's aura is like an energy whirlpool of yellow color?"

"That's... way too different"

"Exactly"

"Do the others know?"

"Yeah, but none of us had felt any harm from that peculiar aura, so for now we just agreed to let it slide while keeping watch"

"Oh..."

Sheep's short reply made both of them silent for half a minute before she spoke again.

"By the way, why are you telling me all these? This was supposed to be your team's private info, wasn't it?"

"Heh, I just figured that it won't do any harm if you know anyway. Also, since this is about a person you care, you have the right to know"

Sheep smiled a little without saying anything after hearing Arche's reply. There was one info which Arche didn't tell Sheep about, though.

Sheep herself also had a peculiar aura, the shape of which was like a miniature tornado with its color being green with a mix of blood-red. Its size was comparable to Rose's aura but slightly smaller. What had been intriguing her was the fact that the size of Sheep's aura became overwhelmingly large whenever she wielded her demonic-looking bow, which she could summon out from thin air effortlessly.

Putting every topic aside, Arche had to accept than now both she and Sheep had become damsels in distress and there was no choice other than wait.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Second Day, 23:40**

 _Click!_

With the help of a magic item and her own skills, Imina managed to pick the lock of Rossaur's bedroom, which was one of the forbidden areas at the second floor of the mansion.

Imina opened the door slowly, being cautious of possible traps even though she didn't detect any. She didn't sense any people other than one person on the bed. Curiously, the person, who was Rossaur himself as expected, was still awake reading a book with a small magic illumination over the bed. Thankfully, it seemed he had not noticed them yet.

Imina looked at Hekkeran and Roberdyck, and the three of them exchanged a nod. They had decided to boldly walk in and confront Rossaur directly. All his actions from the beginning had been suspicious in the eyes of anyone with common sense, so he was their biggest suspect for the disappearance of Arche and Sheep. They were aware that this action carried a high risk, but they had decided not to waste more time.

Hekkeran opened the door wide and walked into the room boldly with serious expression. The others followed behind him. Rossaur noticed them coming and put his book away, and then he put himself in sitting upright position with the lower half of his body covered in blanket. He folded his arms, not looking intimidated at all despite only wearing a sleeping robe.

" **I suppose you have a good reason for entering my bedroom, which I believe is off-limits, at this hour"**

Rossaur's voice was the same as before, which was quite intimidating. Hekkeran, still unfazed, stepped forward and took the act as the team's spokesperson in this matter.

"Two members of our team went missing during their shift"

" **Then you should have recruited more trustworthy members. What does it have to do with me?"**

"We have reasons to believe that you are involved in this"

" **Ridiculous! From where did you get into that conclusion?"**

"Your behaviour from the time we met was already suspicious. In short, it all seemed as if you only wanted some outsiders in your house for whatever reason"

 _Click!_

Before Rossaur could respond, one door at the side of the room, which seemed to be connecting to the room next door, opened with a click. Everyone looked at the door and saw a little girl coming out from the door. Her features matched with the girl Roberdyck had described recently, including the doll she was hugging. She rubbed her sleepy eyes with her hand.

"Papa... who are those people...?"

"It's nothing, dear. Go back to sleep"

Rossaur replied to the girl with a very normal voice compared to the loud and heavy voice from before.

"Are they... bad people?"

"Just go back to sleep. They are not of your concern"

Hekkeran and Imina were getting impatient at this point, and their expression showed. They still had the courtesy to not act too aggressively in front of an innocent girl, but the fact still remained that Arche and Sheep were in danger somewhere and every second would count.

The girl noticed their expression, and her own face began to show anger.

"They are bad people..."

The girl began to shine. At this point, Rossaur's face became grim while the others were surprised.

"Bad people must die..."

" **Emerile! No!"**

[Burn Lance]

[Freeze Lance]

[Shock Lance]

The girl, seemingly named Emerile, casted three spells simultaneously. Three bolts of different elements were created and launched towards the Foresight members.

"Watch out!"

Hekkeran shouted, jumping towards Imina to push her away. At the same time, Roberdyck put himself in front of Rose and braced himself.

 **BOOM! CRASH!**

The bolts made an explosion on the spot where the four people stood. A few seconds later, the dust settled, revealing the condition of the four persons.

They were all fine. There were some light wounds on Hekkeran, Imina, and Roberdyck, but they were still in perfect condition for combat. All of them were very surprised that they had just survived multiple spells of a tier they had never seen before. They also noticed that for a brief moment before the bolts hit their bodies had glowed blue.

"Defensive buff? But who-?"

The moment Hekkeran said it, he and the other two looked at Rose. She was not injured at all, which already raised a question. But their biggest question was the thing she was holding; A long purple staff which might as well be a halberd, seeing those sharp edges all around its head. An ominous magic circle was spinning around the staff head.

"Are you all right?"

Rose asked the others with a concerned voice and face. The others took a few seconds to let everything sink in.

"Y-Yeah, I'm still fine"

Hekkeran looked at Roberdyck and Imina as he replied. Both of them nodded, so Hekkeran continued.

"We're all fine. Good work, Rose"

 _"Nice save, Meru. I was worried for a second there"_

 _"I was as worried as you, Rose. I'm glad that Deband tech was strong enough to protect them"_

 _"Yeah, but still, be careful. The enemy is a magic caster. Please don't make the same mistake I did back then"_

Meru, who had been in control of the body to keep playing as 'Rose' in purpose of making her apparent personality consistent towards Foresight Team, kept Rose's warning in mind. In all possibilities, Emerile could have the capability to cast spells of weird effects which photon armor would not protect against. But unlike before, she now had partners, and one of them in particular had willingly used his own body to shield her from the recent attack. She was now determined to protect them with the best of her abilities.

 _"There's no use asking about this since you've done it, but are you sure with revealing your sinister-looking Nox Lipher? They might question us later, or worse"_

 _"I know, Rose. But don't want to let them die if I can help it"_

While Rose and Meru were having their conversation inside her head, Foresight Team noticed that both Rossaur and Emerile had escaped through the connecting door when the bolts had struck.

"Let's chase them and save Arche and Sheep"

Everyone else nodded hearing Hekkeran's words, and they quickly began their pursuit.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Second Day, 23:48**

Several more minutes had passed in the prison cell. At this point, Arche already felt really uncomfortable. Sitting on a hard ground for an extended period of time had already made her bottom hurt. In addition, the shackle around her neck had been rubbing her neck skin and it also started to feel painful.

Out of frustration and desperation, Arche tried to cast spells again.

[Lesser Break Item]

[Lesser Break Item]

[Lesser Break Item]

None worked. The shackles absorbed the magic energy and prevented the spells from getting casted. All her effort had been nothing more than a waste of energy which made her start to run out of breath.

"A-Achoo!"

Sheep sneezed all of a sudden, which startled Arche.

"A-Are you alright? Did you catch a cold?"

The prison cell indeed was quite cold. The current season was not the coldest yet, but it was already cold enough to make the room too cold for anyone not protected against cold, especially in the dead of night like this. Arche herself didn't really feel cold thanks to herself still wearing full attire. Though one part of her body, particularly a small part of her upper thighs, still felt cold because they were exposed to the cold air. Putting that aside, Sheep's attire seemed less protective against cold, so Arche was genuinely concerned.

"Don't worry. I'm all right. Probably someone out there is talking about me"

"Don't you feel cold?"

"Don't worry about that either. My clothes are... enchanted so that I always feel at a comfortable temperature as long as it is not too hot or too cold. What about you?"

"I will manage. Thanks for the concern"

"You too. By the way..."

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't your magic work?"

"These shackles are enchanted to absorb all mana I let out to cast spells"

"So, when you try to cast a spell, your mana went into the shackles instead of getting turned into the spell?"

"Unfortunately, yeah. So I'm now as powerless as an ordinary girl"

"Hmm..."

Sheep seemed to be thinking for a brief moment. Her whole body then glowed blue, followed by the shackles, and suddenly all those shackles binding her shattered, setting her free. Arche was totally dumbfounded seeing what had just happened.

"What? What happened? What did you do?"

"I just tried making these things overloaded"

Sheep then moved to Arche and put her hands on Arche's shackles. Her hands glowed blue again, and the same thing happened to the shackles binding Arche, setting her free within an instant.

It took Arche a few more seconds to understand what had happened. She was unable to measure Sheep's potential thanks to the peculiar aura, but it seemed that Sheep had an overwhelming mana reserve which she could unleash to be absorbed by the shackles' enchantment. The shackles, unable to contain the overwhelming amount of mana, were shattered as the result.

"So, if these things have been just ordinary steel shackles...?"

"I wouldn't have been able to break free. My physical strength isn't much different than yours"

It was a lucky coincidence that Sheep had been bound with the same anti-magic shackles as Arche. Had them been ordinary steel shackles, the method Sheep had used wouldn't have worked and they would have remained stuck inside the prison cell.

"We could have been free sooner if I have told you the info earlier, but good work, Sheep"

Sheep nodded with a smile as they both stood up. Sheep then summoned her bow and shot an energy bolt towards the bars of the cell. They broke off easily, and now the way out was wide open.

"Let's go back to the others"

Arche nodded hearing Sheep's words. She was determined to reunite with the others and tell them everything she knew.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **You can take a look at my gallery, the links of which are in my profile, if you need a reminder on how the weapon looks like. Now let me reply to a few comments.**

* * *

 **rmarcano:** I don't know how many more chapters this story will have, but I can say that Volume 9 is the planned 'end point' initially. Whether this will really end there or not, nobody knows

 **UndeadLord:** Well, who knows? Though I can say that it is not the case here.

 **MadDan:** Like before, we have our chat somewhere else. ;)

 **DanielSilverjay:** Thank you, and I will try my best.

* * *

 **Next chapter will mark the end of the first half of this arc.**

 **See you again later.**


	46. Chapter 41: An Unlikely Outcome

**Hello again!**

 **Once again, there's nothing for me to say, so enjoy the chapter and see you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Second Day, 23:56**

The four members of Foresight pursued both Rossaur and Emerile, whom they had essentially confirmed to be the culprits behind the disappearance of Sheep and Arche. They went through the connecting door to the room next door, quickly but still in caution. They kept it well in their mind that they were still alive thanks to Rose's intervention against the three powerful spells. The enemies they were facing was far more dangerous than they had ever faced.

The room next door was more or less the same as the previous room; A luxurious bedroom fitting for an extremely rich person, though the bed of this room was smaller, designed for a single person rather than the king-size bed Rossaur had, which could fit two adults. The illumination was rather dim, but still bright enough to not leave any blind dark spots.

Strangely, the room was empty. Neither Rossaur nor Emerile could be seen inside the room. But the whole Foresight team knew not to let their guard down. The fact that Emerile could cast powerful spells could very well meant that she also had concealment spells up her sleeves.

"Everybody, cover your face"

Right after saying that, Imina quickly took out a small pouch from her bag, threw it to the air, and shot it with her bow. The pouch blew up, spreading tiny glowing blue wisps to every direction. As the result, the whole room was covered in tiny blue glowing particles all over, including the Foresight members. Only their faces were still clean since they had covered their faces as instructed. This bunch of blue wisps was a magic consumable item, the purpose of which was to blanket an area which would help in revealing the position of invisible objects and creatures. The wisps would disappear by themselves after a few seconds, so the user and their allies had to be quick in spotting their target.

"There!"

Imina pointed at a spot near one corner of the room. The particles were gathered in a way that they made two standing human figures there, matching the body shape of Rossaur and Emerile. Without saying anything further, Imina quickly shot an arrow at the direction of the two figures. The blue wisp particles blanketing the room disappeared when the arrow was still in mid-air.

 **CLANK!**

The arrow hit something in mid-air. For a very brief moment, everyone could see an energy shield covering Rossaur and Emerile, who were no longer invisible. Emerile still looked slightly angry like before, while Rossaur seemed to be confused and worried.

[Grand Fireball]

Emerile launched a big fireball towards the group. This time, everyone in Foresight team had the knowledge of the spell. It was a fourth tier spell, a direct upgrade to the third tier spell [Fireball], which would inflict massive damage over a large area.

"Get behind me!"

Roberdyck quickly stepped forward while the others grouped themselves behind him.

[Impenetrable Fortress]

[Enhanced Magic Resistance]

Roberdyck braced himself with two defensive Martial Arts. He had learned these two Martial Arts because he was aware of his role as the Tank of the team, so anything that would bolster his defenses would be appreciated. These two were the only Martial Arts he could use, but he was glad that he had learned those even though they probably wouldn't be enough to survive the incoming fireball. Nevertheless, Roberdyck felt that if his sacrifice would help the others to survive, that would be sufficient.

 **BOOM!**

An explosion occured upon impact of the fireball. It took a brief moment until the dust settled. What was revealed then was a surprise to everyone on the scene.

"Wha-? I'm alive?"

Everyone on both sides were pretty much surprised at the fact that Roberdyck survived a direct hit from a fourth tier spell, and managing to keep his partners unhurt to boot. The walls and furnitures around them had been essentially turned into charcoal, yet all four of them survived with no more than soot marks over their body.

"How come...?"

Emerile uttered a single phrase in confusion, although her face still remained fairly angry. The Foresight team on the other hand, didn't take long to understand what had just happened.

The defensive buff from Rose was still in effect.

Roberdyck, and probably everyone else in the team as well, knew that nobody in the team would have survived a direct hit from a fourth tier spell. Even a third tier spell would be hard to survive without taking major damage. The fact that the defensive buff from Rose had saved their lives twice made them all wary about how strong Rose actually was. They all had a lot of questions in their mind, but that should be saved for later.

The team was prepared to do a counter attack, but suddenly Rossaur raised his hand.

" **Stop this! This is a misunderstanding!"**

None of the team let down their guard. The fact still remained that Emerile had commited hostile actions on them twice. It was still possible that Rossaur was intending to distract them. Hekkeran once again took the role of the team's spokesperson, still with his weapons at the ready. Others also kept themselves alert for any possible surprise attack.

"It is difficult to believe your words after two attempts on our life"

" **I know. But please give me a minute"**

Rossaur then kneeled in front of Emerile and held her shoulders.

"Emerile dear, they are not bad people, okay?"

"But..."

"They are just concerned about a few things, but they are not bad people. Do you believe me, dear?"

Emerile was speechless. Her face now showed worry and guilt as she occasionally glanced at Foresight team. Right at this time, Imina noticed something.

"I hear footsteps. The guards outside are coming"

"Tch..."

Hekkeran knew this would be a bad situation. No matter how one looked, the scenery right now seemed as if the team had gone rogue and attacked Rossaur and Emerile. At this rate they would get found out.

"What happened here? Are you all right, Master?"

A number of guards arrived right outside the room's door. Hekkeran was prepared for the worst.

" **It's all right! We were attacked by a monster, but these brave adventurers slayed it!"**

The guards seemed to be relieved hearing Rossaur's words. All of the Foresight team were slightly confused at what Rossaur had just done, but they were also felt relieved at how the situation had turned out.

"Then let us escort you to a safe place"

One guard spoke, but Rossaur shook his head.

" **Just go back to your posts outside. I still need to have a talk with these adventurers"**

As commanded, the guards left the place and went back to their posts. There was a brief moment of silence before Rossaur spoke again, this time in normal voice.

"Can we... sit down somewhere and talk?"

"You must tell us where our missing partners are first"

"I swear that I don't know"

Before Hekkeran could reply to Rossaur's words, suddenly someone talked from the front door of the room, which was still wide open after the guards had left.

"I believe that little girl should have known"

The Foresight team, Rose included, looked at the front door. They became very delighted at what they saw.

"Sheep! Arche! You're safe!"

The ones right outside the door were Sheep and Arche, looking pretty much all right. Sheep smiled with determination as she walked into the room, her bow in hand. Arche was right behind her, but suddenly she stopped. An expression of shock and disbelief were all over her face.

"Arche, what's wrong?"

"Ahh... Nothing. Anyway, we were imprisoned in the basement, and that girl was staring at us for a while down there"

Right after hearing Arche's reply, Hekkeran and the rest of the team looked back at Rossaur and Emerile. Now Emerile looked upset, while Rossaur seemed surprised and confused, looking at Emerile and asking a question.

"What did you do?"

"So you both can't be trusted after all, eh?"

Right after Hekkeran said it, Emerile's body emitted a red aura and then she suddenly disappeared from sight. Before anyone could react, she appeared behind Arche and within an instant touched Arche's back with one hand.

[Drain Touch]

"Ugh!"

"Arche!"

Sheep immediately jumped to Arche and pulled her away from Emerile. Arche was thrown towards her other teammates a little violently as the result, but Roberdyck safely caught her.

"Arche! Are you still alright?"

Roberdyck asked as he gently put Arche down. She was still able to stand, but she seemed to be having a headache.

"Yeah, but I think she has drained most of my mana. I'm sorry..."

Sheep quickly raised her bow and shot at Emerile, but once again Emerile disappeared. The shot hit the wall and created a quite large hole towards the corridor at the other side.

"Where did she go? Was that [Teleportation] spell?"

Hekkeran asked while his eyes were scanning the surroundings. Everyone else also did the same.

"Outside!"

Arche shouted. Her ability to detect magic energy had allowed her to sense the trails of Emerile's magic. Everyone looked towards the room's window, which faced to the backyards of the mansion. Indeed, Emerile was there, floating while also sporting an expressionless face.

"Watch out, guys! She is capable of casting spells of at least tier five, maybe even six!"

"We know! She has thrown some at us already!"

As Roberdyck replied to Arche, Emerile raised one hand while her other hand was still hugging her doll look-alike. She began to shine again, and a ball of fire twice as large as herself formed above her raised hand. Arche became pale as she saw the magic spell Emerile was charging up.

"Oh no. That's [Flame Blast], the 5th tier version of [Fireball]!"

"Wait a second! If she casts that on us, she will hit Rossaur too! Aren't they accomplices?"

Before anyone could answer Imina's question, Sheep shouted.

"Everyone get clear!"

Sheep, without moving from the spot she was standing on, drew her bow. A bolt of energy began to materialize as the arrow, and Sheep's feet left the ground as she kept drawing her bow. She was magically floating, and the energy bolt kept getting brighter. Everyone immediately got clear as she said. It was common sense to think that whatever Sheep was going to do, it would be very dangerous for them if they got caught in its range.

[Flame Blast]

Emerile threw the big ball of fire right towards the room everyone were in.

 **SCHWING!**

 **CRASH!**

The energy bolt on Sheep's bow became blindingly bright for a split second before it was launched at incredible speed straight to the incoming ball of fire, demolishing the window and the wall around it. The energy bolt's speed was so fast, Emerile couldn't react against it.

 **BOOM!**

The energy bolt hit the fireball when it was still just a few meters in front of Emerile. The bolt pierced through, making the fireball explode pretty much on Emerile's face, and then it disappeared into the night sky. Emerile, caught by surprise, took the full brunt of the explosion, falling straight down to the ground as the result.

 **THUD!**

Emerile hit the ground and didn't move anymore, her doll laying still just next to her motionless hand. Nobody could tell yet whether she was still alive or not.

" **NO! EMERILE!"**

Rossaur ran over to the edge of the room where a large hole had been formed as the result of Sheep's attack. He looked really devastated as he took a look at Emerile who was still motionless down on the ground.

" **What have you done!? My dear Emerile...!"**

Rossaur shouted at Sheep. His face looked as if he had genuinely lost a loved one. For a moment, everyone on Foresight team started to doubt their actions because it now looked like as if they had assaulted their client and killed his daughter, and this would never go well for them in the future.

"We saved your life, you scum..."

Sheep, sporting an intimidating death glare, replied to Rossaur while walking towards him. She then stopped right in front of him and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"If I have not done what I did, this entire room would have been in flames and everyone would have perished, you included. Answer me, scum. Is that what you would have wanted? If so, I will gladly kill you right here and now"

Rossaur was silent, intimidated by Sheep's words and actions. The same applied to Foresight team, especially from the fact known to them that Sheep was unfathomably more powerful than them.

Still, at this rate nothing good would happen. So Hekkeran mustered his courage to speak.

"Sheep, if you would, please let me take it from here"

Without saying anything, Sheep stepped aside to make way for Hekkeran, who then approached Rossaur while trying to look confident, despite actually being deeply worried about his team's future.

"Sir Rossaur, I unfortunately have to justify our actions. From the beginning, the way you gave us the assignment was suspicious, as if you only wanted a group of strangers inside your house for some reason. And then, within two days some of our members have been abducted and confined in the basement. And then just now, there have been three attempts on our lives. What our partner did was self defense. Otherwise, like she said, all of us including you would have perished"

" **I... I can explain"**

"Like I said before, it is hard to believe any words from you after all those attempts on our lives"

While this was happening, Arche took a look at the ground down below, and the next thing she saw made her unable to believe her own eyes.

"Guys..."

"What is it?"

Imina was the one responding to Arche. She looked down to the ground outside like Arche, but she saw nothing significant. Emerile was still there motionless on the ground.

"Do you see something I don't, Arche?"

"The large magic aura I saw on her... was not on her all along"

"What?"

"It is on the doll! The doll has been the one casting all those magic from the beginning!"

Right after Arche said the words, the doll which had been right beside Emerile's hand flew up and stopped right outside the hole on the room. Without delay, it casted a spell on everyone in the room.

[Mass Burden]

Within an instant, everyone there, Rossaur included, fell down flat on their front or back. They all felt as if they were carrying a huge load on their body. They still could move their arms and legs, but the heavy load they felt made them totally unable to lift their body, rendering them all helpless.

Arche knew what the spell was. It was a third tier spell, with the single target version being only first tier. None of them were practical for combat because normally the weight applied was only as heavy as a typical adventurer's luggage twice over. For most adventurers, especially the ones who were trained in classes excelled in physical attributes, the spell's effect was only an annoyance compared to other debuff spells of the same tier. However, the applied weight scaled with the caster's magic potential, so the debilitating weight she felt right now showed the overwhelming magic potential of the enemy.

"Uuurgh!"

Roberdyck tried his hardest to stand up. He was the one with the best chance to overcome the spell effect since his physical attributes were the best among the team, and he had the Martial Art which improved his magic resistance. Still, Arche knew Roberdyck alone would not have any chance against this enemy, who right now was once again charging the [Flame Blast] spell, and this time Sheep was unable to intervene.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

" _Meru, do something! We are going to be the only one surviving at this rate!"_

" _I know, Rose... But I really can't stand up..."_

" _Uhhh, I hate it that photon armor is useless against weird magic effects like this!"_

" _I'm sorry, Rose..."_

" _This is not the time to be sorry! Come on, think think think...!"_

" _If only we can get some magic resistance somehow..."_

" _Indeed, but... we can, can't we?"_

" _What...? Oh right, we can. But... how did we get this knowledge?"_

" _Ask questions later! Just do it right now!"_

Meru's body then began to radiate visible red aura, which gradually grew brighter and larger. Neither of the personalities could understand nor explain it. When they had witnessed the use of Martial Arts and felt its energy up close, the feeling was akin to using a Photon Disk to be bestowed the knowledge and ability to use a new Photon Art. Hell, they could even somehow see some of Roberdyck's memories as he trained to use them. So acting on a hunch, Meru willed her body up, focusing on the memories and the sensations that she felt as she then shouted the name of the Martial Art that she and Rose wished...

"Enhanced Magic Resistance!"

Meru shouted as she managed to stand up in battle-ready stance, her Nox Lipher rod in hand. The others were visibly surprised seeing what she had just done.

Meru then pointed her weapon at the sinister doll and casted the quickest, most accurate Photon Tech, knowing that she didn't have enough time to charge the tech before the huge fireball was thrown into the room.

 _Grants! (Uncharged)_

Within an instant, three spears of light materialized around the sinister doll and impaled it simultaneously. The spears then made an small explosion of light and vanished, leaving no physical damage to the doll. Visible particles of light then burst out from the doll like a perforated water balloon.

The doll wailed with a strange sound as it began to disintegrate. The huge fireball vanished right there like a puff of smoke, and a few seconds later the doll fully disintegrated without a trace.

Right at this point, the magic which had been pinning everyone down vanished, and everyone were able to stand up normally again.

Sheep, who had not seen anything because she had been pinned face-down by the burdening spell, immediately jumped out of the hole onto the ground below. For a very brief moment, the others in the room could notice her worried face.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Wait! Sheep! What are you doing?"

Imina shouted seeing what had just happened. Hekkeran caught the drift, so he began explaining to the others. His face also showed worry.

"Emerile... she's probably trying to save Emerile. The doll was the real enemy, so Emerile has been innocent all along. She has been merely used or controlled"

"Rober, can you go down there and help?"

Roberdyck nodded hearing Arche's words. In the team, he was currently the only one capable of casting healing magic. Arche actually could do it as well, but the recent incident had left her mana almost depleted, so Roberdyck was the only one left. Roberdyck then immediately jumped down following Sheep.

"Master Rossaur, what have just happened?"

Everyone in the room looked at the one who just arrived. The guards who had been dismissed before had returned after hearing all the noise. Some staff members, including Lavitz the butler, were also here this time.

For the team, this was a bad situation. The room had been damaged further than before, and now the fact remained that an innocent child had been harmed. Depending on what Rossaur would say next, the entire team would possibly be forced to flee.

"...We have been deceived by the monster..."

The guards and staffs couldn't help being confused. What Rossaur had just said was still too vague for them to draw any conclusion.

"It played dead and ambushed us when we let our guard down. It is now slayed for real, but it threw Emerile out of this hole before dying"

Hekkeran, Arche, and Imina couldn't believe what they had just heard. Despite what had happened, Rossaur covered for them again like before. A good number of questions emerged inside their mind. Was their conclusion wrong all along?

"W-What? Is Master Emerile safe? Is she alright?"

Lavitz asked the question with a very worried face, which looked genuine no matter how anyone looked at it. The feeling of doubt and guilt within Foresight team welled up even further at this point. If they had not confronted Rossaur directly, this probably would have not happened.

"Two of the adventurers are now checking at her"

Hearing Rossaur's reply, Lavitz quickly walked to the edge of the room, where he could look down to the ground and see what was happening. Hekkeran also took a look, but he couldn't see much other than the backside of Roberdyck who was crouching next to Sheep.

Rose was out of breath and Arche was tending to her. The sinister-looking staff weapon she had was no longer there, vanished into thin air with a flicker of light just like Sheep's bow. Hekkeran began to wonder if Rose was actually the same as Sheep and they were in cahoots for some ulterior motive.

 _What am I thinking? Without them both, we would have been killed already._

Hekkeran then decided to not question them for the moment. The fact still remained that both of them had saved the lives of the entire team, and his moral was not low enough to confront their saviors out of mere suspicions. He therefore decided to question them politely later, if he finds the right moment.

A moment later, everyone overlooking the ground below saw Roberdyck standing up and turning around. He looked at the ones looking at him, and he raised his right hand.

He made a thumbs-up with delighted face. Emerile was still alive and she was now safe.

"OOOOHH!"

The crowd in the room cheered in celebration. Hekkeran noticed Rossaur leaking tears as he hugged Lavitz in celebration.

 _Man, everyone will need to ask and answer a number of questions after this..._

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Third Day, 00:45**

The entire Foresight team, Sheep and Rose included, were sitting around a table in the study room of the mansion, which was supposed to be one of the rooms forbidden for them to enter. Some light meal and drinks had been provided for them while they wait for Rossaur to arrive after cleaning things up.

 **Click!**

The door opened, and everyone looked at the ones coming in. There were two, and the team knew both of them. They were Rossaur and Lavitz. Rossaur now wore his work attire instead of the sleeping robe he had worn before.

Rossaur then sat down on one of the vacant chairs and put his arms folded on the table. Lavitz stood right next to him on standby.

"Emerile is now asleep, and I believe all of you have a lot of questions right now"

The team didn't respond to Rossaur's opening speech.

"I will explain everything. Whether you want to believe me or not, I will leave it to your judgement. Lavitz, leave us alone"

"As you wish, Master"

Lavitz bowed and then he left the room. Rossaur was silent for a few seconds after Lavitz closed the door, and then he sighed before continuing.

"Emerile... is my wife. To be exact, was my wife"

The team couldn't help being surprised. There was no way an aged man like Rossaur would have such a very young wife. There must be something they didn't know yet, especially that Rossaur added the last statement, which could mean anything.

"Before I continue, I want to ask one question. What do you know about my wife?"

Hekkeran then quickly answered the question.

"Your wife disappeared sometime during the purge. That is all we know"

 **BAM!**

" **False! She was killed in cold blood! And they just dismissed it as unfortunate collateral damage!"**

The sudden table-hitting and Rossaur's voice rising startled everyone else.

" **They took everything from me in my grief and they didn't just kill me off, as if they just wanted to see me suffering!"**

Everyone kept themselves silent as Rossaur took a deep breath and continued speaking, returning to his normal voice.

"I don't remember how and why this happened, but one day, when I was still sunk in my grieving, something spoke to me, in the form of a living, ragged doll, introducing itself as Piethoms"

Rossaur took another deep breath.

"As you might guess, Piethoms said that it could bring her back, and I foolishly accepted it"

"So, Emerile is..."

Hekkeran couldn't help asking, even though he could already guess it.

" **Piethoms brought her back... as a newborn"**

There was another brief silence.

"I thought okay, makes sense. She was just an ordinary human after all. Real resurrection spell would simply fail. At least we would be still together, even though not as couples. And so, to make things easier Emerile was officially documented as my adopted child. Anyone have questions so far...?"

Hekkeran then tried inquiring.

"I believe it was a pact, wasn't it? What did this so-called Piethoms require in return?"

"He told me to keep his doll body with me at all times while he slumbered for a while or I would regret it. One year later, he woke up and spoke to me again, offering a new deal to make me rich. Once again, the poor and foolish me accepted"

"So that was how you became rich again"

"Correct, Piethoms instructed me to buy things which for some reason became high in demand some time later, so I could resell them at high price, rinse and repeat until I got this rich. But in return... he wanted me to feed him with mana"

"So... what did you do to comply with Piethoms' demands?"

Rossaur was silent, hesitating to answer the question.

"Every month, I bought demihuman slaves and confined them in the basement. For all I know, Piethoms has enchanted the shackles to absorb the mana of the slaves and transmit the mana to him until they become withered corpses a few days later. After that it would made the bodies disappear without a trace"

Arche couldn't help gulping after hearing Rossaur's words. She had almost met the same fate if it were not for Sheep breaking the shackles by overloading them. In the meantime, Hekkeran asked another question.

"Why did you put two of our members there?"

"I swear that I didn't. Though I do admit that due to some circumstances I was late in supplying new slaves this time around. Perhaps Piethoms drooled over the mana of your members so he decided to do the deed himself"

"Hold on a second. So Piethoms is the doll we fought?"

"In a sense, you are correct. At first it was just an ordinary doll I ordered tailor-made for Emerile, but one day Piethoms changed his residence into that doll. He manipulated Emerile by befriending her while also controlling her actions, either directly or not. I never had any idea that he could do that"

Rossaur sighed heavily after saying that.

" **I was careless. That thing effectively held Emerile hostage without her knowing it"**

"So, let me get this straight. You had a pact with some unknown creature named Piethoms, who reincarnated your wife and made you rich. In return you bought slaves for him to feed on, and he held your wife hostage without her being aware of it"

"Yes"

"How many people in the house know this fact?"

"Nobody else"

Hekkeran and the others couldn't help thinking that some things still didn't click. How had Rossaur been managing to keep this a secret for this long? One or two staff members would inevitably stumble upon hints of this, one way or another. It was best to assume that not all of Rossaur's words were the truth. He was either still hiding something or just bad at recalling memories.

"And now you just suddenly told us. I'm afraid to say that something smells fishy for us"

" **Because I still have the upper hand. You are not adventurers, am I correct?"**

Everyone else couldn't hide their surprise from the fact that they had been found out. Arche started to drop cold sweat, while the others sat still trying to keep their calm. Rossaur looked at Arche and continued speaking.

" **Having a wide information network sure has its merits. I know that you are the daughter of Furt family, and for all I know, Arche Eeb Rile Furt is not an adventurer, but a worker"**

Hekkeran was surprised by this turn of events. Arche had never told any of the team about her background, and that had just turned fatal for the mission.

But all of a sudden, Rossaur laughed. His laugh sounded happy, like a prankster who has just successfully pranked someone.

" **Hahaha! Look at your face!"**

The entire team couldn't help feeling confused. Rossaur then began speaking again after he stopped laughing.

" **I knew from the very beginning. You are actually part of a plan I and the guildmaster made to subjugate Piethoms. Though I admit that things didn't go as planned"**

"What? What kind of plan?"

" **Doesn't matter. Piethoms is dead now, and it was all thanks to you!"**

"I'm sorry to say that it actually matters for us. We have the right to know about this so-called plan we were supposed to be part of. Also, you said you and the guildmaster made the plan, but you also said nobody else knows about Piethoms. The inconsistency sticks out like a sore thumb"

Rossaur folded his arms again and put on a serious face as a response to Hekkeran's argument.

" **It is the truth that nobody else in the house knows, but outside the house, the guildmaster knows. Anyway, to put it simply, the coming guest was supposed to be the one who would fight against Piethoms, and you were supposed to act as his shields"**

"Who is the guest? Would you tell us this time?"

" **Fluder Paradyne. I invited him on the background of offering a potential apprentice"**

Arche was visibly surprised. It was of no wonder, since she was a former apprentice of Fluder Paradyne. Hekkeran paid no heed to that because he was deeply thinking about the possible truth behind all the recent events.

Assuming that everything about Piethoms and Emerile were true, the biggest question would be the reason Rossaur made all this complicated plan. He could have simply posted an Adamantite Rank subjugation job, but why the need to invite Fluder Paradyne using false information?

But then it dawned on Hekkeran.

If a battle between Piethoms and Fluder happened, whichever outcome would give Rossaur a benefit. If Piethoms won, he would gain an incredible amount of mana from Fluder, which would help in maintaining the relationship between Rossaur and Piethoms. Rossaur, with the death of Fluder, would have his revenge against the Empire who had taken everything from him. On the other hand, if Fluder won, Emerile, whom Rossaur seemed to genuinely love, would be free from the grasp of Piethoms.

" **It's already past midnight. You are dismissed from all patrol duties, so rest up and do whatever you like until Fluder comes. Your job on that part remains unchanged"**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Third Day, 01:21**

The Foresight team, Rose and Sheep included, returned to the hut near the side entrance of the mansion. While walking, Hekkeran mustered his courage to speak to Sheep and Rose, whom he now saw in a new light, though perhaps not in a particularly good way.

"Sheep, Rose. I just wanna say... thank you"

"Hmm?"

Sheep's short response was accompanied with a slightly confused face. Rose also made the same face, though without a voiced response.

"Without both of you, we all would have been killed by Piethoms"

After Hekkeran said it, Imina followed up.

"Took the words right out of my mouth"

Then Arche and Roberdyck followed suit.

"We owe you our lives, Sheep, Rose. Thank you"

"Right! I swore to myself that I would protect Rose, but in the end I was the one getting protected! No denying there"

Roberdyck laughed after saying that. He felt a little embarrassed, but it was pretty clear he was genuinely grateful.

"I admit that I have a lot of questions about both of you, but the fact that you have saved our lives doesn't change, and so does our gratitude. So don't worry about that, alright? We can save the questions for later after this job is over"

The rest of the team nodded, agreeing with Hekkeran. Both Rose and Sheep didn't say anything. Their face showed hints of blushing, but both of them seemed to be rather happy regardless.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Fourth Day, 08:55**

Hekkeran, Roberdyck, and Imina stood by near the front gate of Rossaur's mansion. They were waiting for the guest, Fluder Paradyne, to arrive. Arche, Sheep, and Rose stayed in the hut because Arche didn't want to meet her former teacher again, fearing that he would try wrangling her back to his academy. In addition, she had also said that Fluder had an unhealthy obsession towards unknown things related to magic. Since both Rose and Sheep had peculiar auras, which Fluder would be able to see like Arche did thanks to having the same Talent, he would very likely do unimaginable things just to be able to study on both Sheep and Rose.

Another dangerous, yet simple factor for excluding them was that the essentially certain chance of Fluder seeing through the illusion spells on Sheep. Having Sheep near Fluder would be the same as revealing that Sheep was not human. Therefore, with all things considered, those three members would stay back and try to not be seen by Fluder until the end of the job.

Before long, a luxurious carriage, fitting to be a property of the Empire's Court Wizard, arrived in front of the gate. Within seconds, the door of the carriage opened and a few people came out from it. Two of them were rather young and wore magic caster uniforms, so they could be assumed as apprentices Fluder brought as his private escorts. The third person was an elderly person wearing a very fancy magic caster robe with all the accessories around his neck and fingers. There was no mistake that this one was Fluder Paradyne himself.

However, the group's attention were more to the fourth person coming out from the carriage. It was a beautiful woman wearing a white fancy dress which would definitely fit for royal ballroom. Her wavy golden hair reached all the way to her waist, and her skin had pale color. Her face showed a mix of wariness and determination, unlike the others who sported a straight face. The dress she wore exposed her shoulders to the open, therefore it would be hard for anyone to miss the snake-like tattoo she had on her upper chest near her right shoulder.

The group had no idea who this woman was, but since they had been assigned to act as their escorts, they would do exactly that. Still, they couldn't help feeling uneasy around this woman.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Three guesses on who the woman is. Only the first one counts. =P**

 **Next chapter will explain things and also mark the end of this arc.**

 **See you again later.**


	47. Chapter 42: Remorse And Resolution

**Hello again, all!**

 **This chapter marks the end of this filler arc, so you can be at ease that there's no cliffhanger here.**

 **See you again at the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Baharuth Empire, Imperial Palace, Near Midnight. Several Days Before Present Time.**

 _*Yawn*_

Inside a grand bedroom fitting for the Emperor of the Empire, Emperor Jircniv was still awake reading some official documents with magic illumination on his private study table. It was unusual for him to sleep this late, but he somehow couldn't shake a mysterious uneasy feeling which has been haunting him tonight. Rather than wasting time rolling around on the bed, he had decided to do something productive like re-checking his schedule for tomorrow or reviewing official reports to make sure he had not missed anything.

Still, even after distracting himself with the activity, Jircniv still felt mysteriously uneasy in the middle of his tiredness. He wanted to climb into his bed and sleep, but somehow his gut feelings told him not to.

 **WHOOSH!**

 **THUMF!**

All of a sudden, something Jircniv never could have imagined happened. He heard some strange noise from his bed, and when he turned to look, what he saw was a naked woman on his bed. He was very bewildered by the sudden event, but he also noticed that the woman seemed to be as confused as he was.

"W-Where am I? What just happened?"

The woman asked wildly, still not noticing Jircniv's presence. A quick thinking made him conclude that the woman had been teleported from somewhere, but he still had to remain cautious. For all he knew, the woman's confusion could be an act to make him let his guard down.

"Woman, you are now on my bed in my bedroom. You have twenty seconds to declare who you are and your purpose of being here. Any wrong move and I will call the guards"

The woman was surprised and she immediately turned her eyes on Jircniv while covering her naked body with what was supposed to be Jircniv's blanket sheet. Jircniv himself indeed only needed to yell for guards, and at least two specially-trained guards would storm into the room within seconds.

"Someone... teleported me away from my bedroom"

Jircniv was not satisfied with the answer. Anyone with half a functioning brain, of whom Jircniv was much more, would come up with that answer themselves upon seeing what had just happened.

"Who, how, why?"

Jircniv asked with an intimidating tone, as if he was interrogating a convict. He wanted to call the guards and be done with this matter, but he felt that he would miss out on something interesting if he did that. Moreover, he had just noticed something on the woman's body.

"It was... someone I had a deal with... He told me there were strong intruders so he teleported me away without telling me where I would end up"

"Hard to believe without proof, but in any case... You're Hilma Cygnaeus of Eight Fingers, aren't you?"

The woman was startled, but she was not really surprised. She was possibly aware that the snake-shaped tattoo on her right arm was quite a giveaway for anyone with enough knowledge. In Jircniv's case, he had an extensive archive from his spies about every important person within Re-Estize Kingdom, either from the official or underground organizations. Hilma was listed among those people, and the archive included a description of her looks, which included the snake tattoo.

"Y-Yes, that is correct. May I know where I am?"

Jircniv quickly thought about his possible courses of action. He then decided to just tell the truth and see how she would react.

"This here is Imperial Palace of Baharuth Empire, and you are sitting on the Emperor's private bed"

Hilma's eyes went wide with shock as she heard Jircniv's answer.

"S-So... You are..."

"Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix"

Hilma froze in shock after hearing Jircniv's reply. Jircniv, from his experience of reading other people, could conclude that Hilma's reaction was genuine. Someone with malicious intent wouldn't be able to react like that unless they had been trained specially, and someone like Hilma who was never supposed to do field works would never go through such thing.

Still, Jircniv had to be cautious since there was still a chance that her goal was to assassinate him and then whoever had teleported her here would take her back to wherever she had come from. But then again, how would a completely nude woman assassinate him?

Nevertheless, Jircniv spoke to Hilma again.

"What's wrong, woman? Goblin got your tongue?"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Hilma was panicked out of her wits.

Elder had teleported her from her bedroom all the way to the heart of Baharuth Empire, and right in the private bedroom of the Emperor while at it. This was exactly 'out of the pot, into the fire' phrase put into practice. She had escaped from the intruders, whoever they were, but now she was facing the certainty that she would be arrested for trespassing into the Emperor's bedroom, very likely to be executed later.

 _Come on, think! Is there some way I can get out of this?_

Hilma knew that Elder would not pick her up again because right before getting teleported, she had heard him saying that they were now even, which certainly meant that Elder had cut his ties with her. This was actually what Hilma had been wanting, but definitely not this way. Now she essentially had nothing other than her naked body and the magic tattoo, and using it now would be the worst idea ever.

Therefore, Hilma decided to once again talk her way out, however slim the chance would be.

"Y-Your Highness, I can be of use to you!"

Emperor Jircniv didn't make any meaningful response. His face clearly showed that he was skeptical, which was well within Hilma's expectation.

"Oh, figures. What offer do you have in mind?"

"I-I can provide insider info of the kingdom"

"Heh, I already have an extensive archive on that matter. I doubt you can add anything valuable"

"I meant to say, latest important news still fresh within my memory. I believe Your Highness doesn't believe in Message spells, so someone who has just teleported here like me will have a lot of fresh information"

Emperor Jircniv seemed to be thinking for a bit.

"You have a point. I will ask you some questions and see if you really hold your worth"

Jircniv, while still keeping his distance from Hilma, proceeded to ask a number of questions regarding Re-Estize Kingdom. Hilma thankfully was able to answer them all since she had been plotting to increase her division's power among Eight Fingers, therefore she had been keeping a lot of information within her mind. She was not a genius who could memorize every detail, but she at least still remembered the important points. She didn't care anymore about leaking info of her own division. The fact that she had been teleported all the way here in the nude meant everything she had were pretty much lost anyway.

A few minutes later, Jircniv seemed to be thinking deeply. Hilma began to worry if her answers, despite being the truth as far as her knowledge allowed, had not been satisfactory.

"Hmm, assuming all you said were true, you indeed have given me some nice updated information"

Hilma could feel a ray of hope after hearing what Jircniv had said, and she was genuinely wishing he would keep her alive for any reason, even as a slave. She believed that as long as she was alive, opportunities would eventually present themselves.

"You are not here to assassinate me or such, aren't you?"

Hilma was shocked out of her wits by the sudden question.

"O-Of course not! There's no gain at all for me or my division to do such thing!"

Jircniv seemed to be thoroughly observing Hilma's face as she said her hasty reply. Hilma then realized that Jircniv was probably reading her reaction to determine whether she was honest or not. Right after realizing this, Hilma became worried if he had taken her reaction the wrong way. Jircniv just grinned at this moment.

"Let's put your skills to the test, shall we?"

* * *

 *****Flash Forward*****

* * *

 **Present Time, Fourth Day, 09:07**

And there she was, given a task to accompany Fluder Paradyne during an appointment he was attending. The official information was that Rossaur Ratenoir, a former noble turned rich merchant, had someone with great magic potential and he wanted Fluder to see if this person would make a great apprentice.

Jircniv thought that Rossaur was suspicious since in the past he had been an opposing noble and at the present time he should still bear resentment to The Empire since the purge had taken the life of his wife. This appointment might be some sort of trap, so Hilma was tasked to find out if there was something more than meets the eye.

So far, she has not seen anything significant which would need to be immediately addressed. The fact that Rossaur had hired some Mithril Rank adventurers to escort the group seemed weird, but still within range of reason.

Right now, Fluder and Hilma were sitting on the seats of the guest room of Rossaur's mansion, with warm tea served on the table in front of them and a butler standing by. The two young apprentices Fluder had brought were standing by near him, and the same applied to the three adventurers. They all seemed to be wary about their surroundings, though Hilma could notice their uneasiness. Perhaps because they had never expected someone like her to come along with Fluder.

Soon enough, a quite old man entered the room, and he brought a little girl with him. Hilma assumed that the man was Rossaur, and the little girl was the potential apprentice.

"Welcome to my humble home, Master Fluder. Oh, may I know who this wonderful lady is?"

"She is Hilma, one of The Emperor's concubines. She was ordered to come along, watch, and learn how things like this work, so she won't talk much"

"I see"

Hilma kept her eyes on everything which transpired under her watch. Some simple greetings had been made, with Rossaur showing respect while Fluder was keeping a straight face in his response. On a first glance, the girl Rossaur brought with him seemed just like any normal girl who was shy in front of a bunch of people she didn't know. Fluder stood up and observed the girl for a few seconds from where he stood, and then he began to show displeasure.

"I sure hope you are not messing with me, Rossaur. This girl's magic potential is as low as any common people out there"

Rossaur seemed slightly surprised, but he was still as calm as before.

"Are you sure, Master Fluder?"

"I am as sure as I can be. In your defense, I compared her potential with common adult, so her power can still grow as she does. But this much is not worthy enough to be my apprentice"

Strangely, Rossaur seemed to be delighted hearing Fluder's reply. He tried to remain calm and hide it, but Hilma still could notice it for a moment.

"Emerile, you can go back to your room. Lavitz, take her there"

After bowing to Fluder without a word to say, Emerile left the room with the butler. What had just happened left quite a number of questions hanging, so it would be natural to assume that there were more things not revealed yet to them. Fluder was the first to inquire after Emerile and the butler disappeared from view behind the room's door.

"From your actions, I suppose there are things you haven't told us yet"

"Indeed. To tell you the truth, until last night, she could cast spells up to tier five"

Fluder's eyes went wide for a moment, but he didn't say anything, letting Rossaur to continue speaking.

"This is a long story, so let us sit down"

After both Fluder and Rossaur sat down, Rossaur began telling about how Emerile had come to be. The story of his wife being brought back as a newborn by a creature called Piethoms sounded unbelievable in Hilma's mind. However, no matter how hard Hilma tried to observe Rossaur, she couldn't find signs of lying or making things up. So, either Rossaur was telling the truth or exceptionally good at lying was the only conclusion which could be made. Fluder seemed to be quite interested in the story, so the chance of the story being true could be quite high.

"Piethoms..."

Fluder seemed to be thinking over the name of the creature.

"Rossaur, have you ever realized that you have made a pact with an Evil Deity?"

Everyone in the room were surprised hearing Fluder's words. It was common knowledge that Evil Deity was the title bestowed upon the figures of destruction which had destroyed countless civilizations two centuries ago before getting slain by Thirteen Heroes, resulting in very few countries in present time having more than two centuries worth of history.

"Piethoms is the Evil Deity of Pacts. He works by making tantalizing deals with humans who are in the brink of despair. What he asks for in exchange is never clear, but as far as history is concerned, anyone who makes a deal with him never gets to live longer than one year after the pact is made"

Rossaur looked confused hearing Fluder's words.

"But I'm still alive after all these years"

"Indeed that raises a question. But you still haven't told us what happened last night"

"Well, Piethoms became openly hostile, but he was slain by the adventurers I hired"

Everyone other than Rossaur and the adventurers were surprised hearing that. In the past, it took the strength of Thirteen Heroes to slay the Evil Deities one by one. It was logically impossible for Mithril Rank adventurers to slay an Evil Deity. They then looked at the three adventurers present in the room, and Fluder began to ask a question.

"How did you slay Piethoms? Even I would only have a merely fair chance of winning against an Evil Deity"

One of the adventurers, seemingly the leader, came forward and answered.

"Unfortunately, we can't answer the question because our members who have done the deed are now resting from the exhaustion of the battle"

"But you at least saw it, right?"

"No. All three of us got disabled by Piethoms' spell and couldn't see what has happened"

Hilma noticed something in the adventurer's answer, so she began speaking out before Fluder could respond.

"You lied. No, to be exact, you didn't fully tell the truth"

The adventurer was surprised hearing Hilma's words, and Hilma herself could recognize the face expression as the one which most people would make if their lies got found out. Hilma saw this as an opportunity to prove her worth.

However...

"Hilma, that's enough"

Fluder spoke out to stop Hilma from digging further.

"I appreciate you pointing that out, but I believe I have figured out how and why they could slay Piethoms. One, Piethoms is less combat-oriented than most other Evil Deities so he is rather weaker to begin with. Two, Piethoms is believed to be already slain by Thirteen Heroes. I can assume that he barely survived and thus was in a severely weakened state, weak enough to be slain by Mithril Rank adventurers. Despite all that, the fact still remains that you have slain an Evil Deity, and that is admirable"

Everyone in the room nodded occasionally as Fluder spoke. While hearing his words, everything slowly began to make sense in their mind. But Hilma felt a little displeased by the outcome, since she had pretty much been denied from her chance to prove herself. Hilma could see the expression of the adventurers showing relief, a kind of expression which people would make when they were glad their lies didn't get found out. However, she couldn't insist because there was still a chance that their expression was like that because they were simply glad that Fluder had correctly guessed their circumstances. In that case, insisting would just make her look bad.

"Nevertheless, I am more intrigued in something else. Rossaur, could you call Emerile here again. After hearing your story I feel that I need to check on her once again"

Rossaur seemed to hesitate on Fluder's request.

"I assure you that she won't be harmed"

"...Alright"

Rossaur then left the room and returned with Emerile after a few minutes. Fluder stood up from his seat and kneeled in front of Emerile, who was naturally a lot shorter than him. He then raised his right hand and put it gently on Emerile's head. His hand let out a blue light for a few seconds.

"I see"

Fluder then nodded to Rossaur as a signal. Rossaur took the hint and spoke to Emerile.

"Thank you, Emerile. You can go back to your room again"

"But I want to know what this grandpa did to me..."

Emerile childishly rebelled against Rossaur's request. In response, Rossaur replied gently.

"I will tell you later, okay? Go back to your room"

Seeminly displeased, Emerile left the guest room. Both Fluder and Rossaur went back to their seats and sat down.

"So, Master Fluder. What did you find?"

"I will go straight to the point. Emerile is, in origin perspective, not a human being"

Rossaur's eyes went slightly wide, but he didn't seem to be that surprised. He then let out a small sigh before speaking in response.

"I already suspected that from a long time ago, but never figured out what she actually is. She eats as much as two adults, and she still looks like a five or six years old despite being nearly ten. Do you know what she actually is, Master Fluder?"

"She is a Homunculus. An artificial human created through alchemy"

Rossaur kept a straight face hearing Fluder's answer. But shortly after, seemingly having let it sink in, he looked down and his eyes were averted to his left.

"I see..."

"I apologize for this, but there is a bad news on this matter"

Rossaur immediately looked at Fluder with a worried expression.

"I also have appraised her alchemical structure when I found out that she is a homunculus. It is crudely made, quite brittle, and thus requires maintenance through periodical mana supply. She has lived this long probably because Piethoms has been supplying her. But now that Piethoms is no more..."

"W-Wha...?"

Fluder let out a sigh. From his expression, Hilma could tell that Fluder was not lying.

"Emerile only has another year at most..."

 **CRASH!**

Suddenly, a noise of broken glass was heard right outside the door. Rossaur promptly stood up and opened the door, and right behind it was Lavitz carrying Emerile, with a broken porcelain kettle on the floor. It could be assumed that Lavitz lifted Emerile up to prevent her from getting injured by the shards.

"Lavitz, Emerile! Are you two all right?"

"M-My apologies for my carelessness, Master!"

Lavitz bowed while still holding Emerile, who showed an expression of sadness.

"Papa..."

There was a silence for a few seconds which felt like forever after Emerile spoke out the one word.

"...Am I going to die...?"

Nobody spoke for another few seconds. It was clear to Hilma that Rossaur couldn't bring himself to speak the harsh truth. Emerile began to leak tears at this point.

"Papa... I'm really going to die... aren't I...?"

Rossaur, and everybody else, still remained speechless. Emerile then suddenly burst into tears and jumped from Lavitz into Rossaur, who still managed to catch her despite the surprise.

"E-Emerile! That was dangerous!"

"I don't want to die, Papa! I still want to play! I still want to go out! I still want to see things! I still want-"

Rossaur could only caress Emerile's head gently under his embrace as she vented all those out. It was difficult for anyone not to feel any sort of empathy towards Emerile at this point, not even Hilma who had seen countless things in the underground society. Nobody spoke any words of comfort, deciding that it was the best for her to let everything out without any interference.

Some time later, Emerile had fallen asleep from exhausting her tears. Rossaur walked to a nearby sofa as Lavitz was cleaning the floor from the shards, put her there covered in a thin blanket sheet, and sat next to her while caressing her head. His face expression clearly showed that he genuinely loved Emerile and he was devastated by the recent unfolding event.

"Master Fluder, is there anything you can do?"

"Unfortunately, no. A Homunculus is a rare existence, so research around them is scarce to begin with. Without proper knowledge, I cannot just pour my mana into her without risking harming her or outright killing her, which I believe you don't want to happen"

Hearing Fluder's answer, Rossaur let out a sigh.

"I see... It can't be helped after all..."

"However, I have a proposal for you"

"Huh?"

"If you agree to put Emerile under my care, I can conduct more research into this matter. We might still have a chance to find out more about her, and therefore I might get the proper knowledge and method to maintain her structure. If I manage to pull that off, she will live longer and enable me to research a way to fix her structure permanently"

Rossaur's face seemed hopeful as he heard Fluder's words. However, it was pretty clear that he had a moment of hesitation.

"But... won't this rob her of her freedom?"

"Indeed, but it is a worthy price to pay for a chance to live much longer than she is destined to. Don't you want her to take the chance, Rossaur? I assure you that once I successfully apply a permanent fix on her, she will be returned to you"

"I... I need some time to think about it"

"Be reminded, Rossaur. The longer you delay, the less chance for her to live"

"I will inform you within a week. In the end, this is a decision which needs her own consent"

Fluder closed his eyes and let out a very small sigh. Hilma assumed that Fluder was a little disappointed with Rossaur's answer.

"I respect your decision. Then, I believe we no longer have a business to be done here"

Fluder stood up from his seat and began walking to the door. Hilma followed him, and so did the apprentices and adventurers.

"Thank you for coming and the kind offer, Master Fluder"

"I expect good news from you in a week, Rossaur"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Fourth Day, 11:24**

Everything has been settled. The guests had gone home, and that should meant that the job for Foresight team was complete. But Hekkeran still couldn't rest easy. With all the reveals which had happened, he was not even sure if the job would be closed on a good note.

Right now, all six of the team were gathered in the guest room. Rossaur was sitting on one seat while the others stood up straight in front of him. Emerile had been brought back to her room, or to be exact, a different bedroom usually reserved for important guests since her original bedroom had been destroyed in the battle against Piethoms last night. The three not present in the recent event had been briefed by Hekkeran, so they all now knew the gist of things which had happened in their absence.

" **So, adventurers... or workers to be exact... Well done. You have exceeded my expectations"**

Hekkeran, and probably the others as well, were quite surprised hearing Rossaur's words. But they kept themselves silent as Rossaur continued speaking.

" **From the beginning, I have expected the worst outcomes. I have mentally prepared to see Emerile getting killed by Fluder, or myself getting killed in the crossfire, or any other worse outcome. But you have averted them all. Piethoms is no more, I'm still alive and well, and Emerile is free from his grasp"**

Despite the praises, Rossaur didn't seem too happy saying those. Hekkeran could guess why, though.

" **Uhh... this is embarrassing, but despite what I said... I'm still not prepared to lose her again... and I never will..."**

Rossaur leaned to the side and covered his eyes with one hand. What was happening was clear to everyone else present, and everyone understood to not question anything.

One minute later, Rossaur took a deep breath and regained his composure.

" **Nevertheless, your job is now complete. Take this letter to the guildmaster and I guarantee you will be home free. And this one is for all of you from me personally"**

Rossaur gave Hekkeran a sealed letter and a small wooden box. Hekkeran opened the small box to see the contents, and he was quite surprised that the box contained platinum coins. From a quick glance, Hekkeran could predict that there were around 40 or 50 coins in the box, quite near the total value they would receive upon complete success of the job.

" **Don't let the guildmaster know about that, alright?"**

Rossaur put his pointer finger in front of his mouth while making a little devious smile. Though his eyes still showed his grief.

"Uh, Sir Rossaur... Is there anything I can do to help...?"

It was Rose who suddenly spoke up, showing her concern.

" **Thanks for your offer, but you no longer need to concern about this. This is a matter I want to face myself. Just go home proud of your well done work"**

And so, Team Foresight had accomplished a job which had turned out completely different than they had expected. A supposed undercover investigation job had turned into an Evil Deity slaying job which they had somehow got out alive from. Hekkeran still had not asked all the questions he had about Rose and Sheep because he had decided that he would only ask after the job was over, and he intended to ask once they all arrived back in Singing Apple Pavilion. He just hoped there wouldn't be much backlash from them afterwards.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Imperial Palace, Fourth Day, 13:18**

"And that concludes my report"

Hilma spoke while seated in front of Jircniv, who was sitting straight behind his work desk in his office room. There was nobody else in the room other than those two, and Jircniv listened closely to Hilma's verbal report with his arms folded on the table.

"Hahaha, so you didn't have a chance after all, eh?"

"Unfortunately, yes"

"Then you can try answering this question. What do you think about the offer from Gramps?"

Hilma took a few seconds to think, and then she began speaking.

"Master Fluder worded his offer in a very enticing way, giving a light of hope amidst Rossaur's despair. He also answered to Rossaur's hesitation with a convincing play of words. I predict that the chance of Rossaur taking the offer is very high despite my assumption that the Homunculus is already beyond saving and Master Fluder was only interested in studying the Homunculus"

"Hmm, you're correct to a certain extent. But I know Gramps will genuinely try to find a way to keep the Homunculus alive and well, since it is a new knowledge and Gramps just loves obtaining new knowledge. Same applies to the supposed permanent fix"

"Oh..."

"In any case... want to be my concubine for real?"

"P-Pardon me, Your Highness! It seems my ears have failed me for a moment"

Hilma was of course caught by surprise from the sudden offer. She couldn't believe it to be real because logically no person of high standing like Jircniv would make such offer on a whim just like that.

"I will say this upfront. You have some skills, so I'd like to keep you around. Better make the cover story real to make things easier"

"So... it is merely because I am useful?"

"Yes, you didn't think that I grew to have real feelings for you, did you?"

Hilma smiled in her mind. She had not taken what Jircniv had just said as an offense. In fact, she viewed it as a challenge she would gladly accept. Accepting the situation, Hilma then did a formal curtsy towards Jircniv and spoke.

"I would be honored to take the offer, Your Highness"

"Hmph, I can see that you took my recent words as a challenge. Try your best then"

Both Hilma and Jircniv laughed lightly. For both of them, the situation had just given them an excitement they had not felt for quite a long time.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Tomb of Nazarick, Conference Room, Unspecified Time.**

"World conquest, Demiurge?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

Right now, all Floor Guardians without exception were gathered around a huge conference table. It was not as grand as the round table of the 41 Supreme Beings, but it was more than enough to house all the current important figures of Nazarick. After all the things happening back in Re-Estize Capital, Ainz felt the need to rearrange and confirm the long term objectives of Nazarick. His former priorities of gathering information, bolster the strength of Nazarick as a whole, and exact retribution on those who had brainwashed Shalltear had to be reconsidered thanks to the arrival of destructive creatures from outer space.

But right now Ainz felt utterly confused thanks to the topic Demiurge had just brought up. In the past, he would just act cool like how a Supreme Leader should be while facing this kind of situation, do some wordplay, and hope things would turn out all right. But with the confession he had just done recently, that was no longer the case.

"Explain to me the reason behind the objective"

"Certainly, Ainz-sama"

Demiurge then proceeded to explain the benefits of conquering the world. As he heard all the elaborate explanation, Ainz slowly became convinced that those benefits would be worth all the effort. In addition, he could help ARKS fleet spread the news of Darkers to the world before the fleet eventually arrive, thus preemptively gaining favor from a potential ally. Though since the arrival time of the fleet was totally unknown, this should be taken as a bonus objective which may or may not be possible to accomplish. After all, it would feel suck if resources and efforts have been spent to prepare for this objective, and then the fleet arrived right then and there, making those preparations moot.

"Alright, that sounds good, Demiurge. But..."

"Is there anything you are concerned about, Ainz-sama?"

Ainz's concern was the fact that he completely didn't remember telling anyone that he had world conquest as his objective. It was embarrassing to admit it openly, but now that he no longer had to maintain a supreme image, he did it anyway.

"Well, now you see how incapable I am. I don't remember telling any of you about this world conquest. So Demiurge, would you jog my memory and tell me when you heard me saying it?"

"Certainly, Ainz-sama. There is no shame in forgetting a trivial thing or two. I heard your words back then, the night when the two of us flew to the sky for the first time"

Demiurge's words made Ainz remember the moment. It had been during the first days of his arrival in this unknown world.

"Ah... so that's when it happened. Back then when I still bore the name Momonga"

As Ainz said his words, suddenly Albedo, who was sitting next to him, showed a reaction.

"Oh..."

"Is there something, Albedo?"

"Ah... It was nothing, A-Ainz-sama. My apologies for the disruption"

Despite the denial, Ainz couldn't help being concerned. He had been carrying a burden of guilt for tampering with Albedo's settings back then, so it couldn't be helped that he had been putting a little more attention to her.

 _What was I thinking back then? It might be just a single line, but jokingly replacing it with 'she is in love with Momonga' is just..._

Ainz stopped his internal thinking because he noticed something. He then looked at Albedo, who looked back with a slightly confused expression.

 _She reacted when I mentioned my old name. Don't tell me..._

Ainz then stood up from his seat.

"We will take a short break. Meeting will resume in an hour. Albedo, come with me for a minute"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

Ainz then walked out from the conference room with Albedo following right behind him. He walked right towards his bedroom, and right in front of the door he stopped and looked upwards.

"I wish to have a private time with Albedo, so get yourselves clear from the room for the time being"

Obeying the command, all the Eight Edge Assassins and other stealth sentries left the vicinity as both Ainz and Albedo entered the bedroom. Ainz could feel an aura of nervousness around Albedo, and noticing it only served to made Ainz feel more guilty.

Ainz then sat down on his bed and looked at Albedo, who still stood straight at a distance after shutting the door.

"Sit down next to me, Albedo"

"Y-Yes, Ainz-sama"

Albedo anxiously sat down next to Ainz as instructed. Despite her expression remaining relatively calm, it was not difficult to notice her uneasy feelings.

"I want to ask some questions which might be difficult for you. I won't force you to answer if you cannot bring yourself to do it. But if you do, I want you to answer with your utmost honesty"

Ainz was silent for a brief moment after saying that. He then took a deep breath and let out a big sigh.

"Albedo, even though you once told me that you have no problems with it, I can't help feeling myself at fault for tampering with your feelings, an action which I can no longer undo. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

"A-Ainz-sama. Please don't be concerned. There is nothing to be made up for. My, and anyone else's wish, is only for you to stay with us. Nothing more"

Ainz didn't feel any better hearing Albedo's answer. It felt just like a typical answer of a loyal-to-a-fault NPC, not something truly from the bottom of her heart.

"Albedo, I'm sure you know that I noticed your reaction during the meeting. You made that reaction when I mentioned my old name. Tell me, have you been suffering because I left that name?"

 _I changed that line into 'She is in love with Momonga', yet right now 'Momonga' is no longer here. Why didn't I notice this sooner?_

Logically, even though a person changed his name, he would be still essentially the same person. Any other person who knew him would still recognize him and interact normally, although they would need a little bit of time to adjust to the new name. Being formerly human, Ainz had been thinking that such logic would simply apply the same way here. However, the residents in Nazarick other than him were formerly NPCs, a bunch of entities made of data and backstories written with mere imagination. It wouldn't be too far off to think that their logical thinking might not be as complex as a former genuine human like him.

"Ainz-sama, I know you have chosen to bear the name of the guild for the greater good. This is a price I am more than willing to pay for the glory of Nazarick, so please be at ease and vanquish the guilty feeling"

Ainz let out another sigh hearing the answer from Albedo.

"So... you admit that you have been suffering thanks to my actions"

Albedo's already pale face became even more pale as she heard Ainz's words. Within an instant, she dropped down to the floor and prostrated to Ainz's feet.

"Ainz-sama! I deeply apologize that my answer has put even more burden in your mind! Please give me the most terrible punishment for this act of disrespect!"

Ainz didn't say any word. He just stood up from the bed while Albedo kept herself prostrated.

"Stand up and look at me in the eyes, Albedo"

Albedo slowly stood up and looked at Ainz in the eyes as instructed. Ainz could notice the worry and guilty feelings written all over her face. She was ready to receive any punishment Ainz would enact upon her.

But what happened next was unthinkable for her.

Ainz put Albedo into his embrace, hugging her quite tightly.

"A-Ainz-sama. What are you-"

"I'm sorry for making you suffer all this time, Albedo"

"B-But Ainz-sama! I-"

"I have tampered with your mind into loving someone who has no ability to return that love back, and to further salt the wound I have made that someone no longer exists in name. There is no excuse, and no amount of apologies would ever make up for my mistake"

"Ainz-sama, please-"

"Unfortunately, I cannot return to my old name until a certain thing happens, which likely won't happen anytime soon. I know this is not even close, but if it will serve to ease your suffering just a little..."

Ainz went silent for a few seconds as both of them gazed at each other's face, which felt much longer than it actually was.

"You may call me with my old name whenever there's only two of us, like right now"

Albedo's eyes went wide in disbelief. She didn't say anything, being at loss for words.

"A-Ainz-sa-"

Ainz shook his head. Albedo gulped seeing the sign.

"M-Mo... Momonga-sama..."

Ainz gently nodded hearing her words. Albedo was still in disbelief at this point.

"Momonga-sama... Momonga-sama. Momonga-sama!"

Albedo burst into tears in Ainz's embrace. Those were tears of delight, as if a huge burden had been completely lifted off from her. Ainz, who had only ever seen this side of Albedo once, kept hugging her and caressing her back. He himself had finally felt a part of the emotional baggage in his mind taken off. Although just a little, he felt at peace that he had done the right thing.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **And so the first filler arc starring Foresight Team and several others has come to an end, with a bonus scene featuring Nazarick. Next chapter will mark the beginning of the second filler arc to tie up some loose ends, and after that we will proceed to the equivalent of Volume 7.**

 **See you again later.**


	48. Chapter 43: Karmic Encounter

**Hello again, everyone who read this. Happy belated Easter. I hope everything went well on your end, wherever you are.**

 **Let's proceed to the next chapter. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **E-Rantel Adventurer's Guild, One Week After The Demonic Disturbance In Re-Estize.**

The Adventurer's Guild in E-Rantel was still as busy as ever. Adventurers of various ranks were busy with their own activities such as browsing the job board, claiming their rewards, discussing next plans with teammates, and so on. Some teams were considering to venture into Katze Plains again since the restriction on the area has been relaxed. There had been several investigation trips done by groups of high rank adventurers, and none of them found any traces of the monsters which had almost completely wiped out a Gold Rank team.

Still, despite the investigation parties finding only regular undead monsters, the guild had not removed the high-threat zone status of the plains yet. They only lowered the threat rating to medium for two reasons. One, the fact still remained that a Gold Rank team had been wiped out leaving only one survivor. Any monsters capable of pulling that feat was surely a lot stronger than the regular undead monsters, and chance of them still being there somewhere was not zero. Two, the recent disastrous event in Re-Estize might have influenced the monsters in Katze Plains, despite the distance.

The hustle and bustle within the building suddenly stopped when a group of three people entered. All the adventurers stopped their activities to take a look at the newly-promoted Adamantite Rank team known as Ignite Maximus. The team consisted of one warrior and two magic casters, one of whom was the survivor of the wiped out Gold Rank team.

The team had been recently promoted thanks to their deeds during the aforementioned disastrous event. Darkness Team had vouched for their great performance and recommended their promotion to the guildmaster, and so it happened.

What caught the attention of many people in the room today was the warrior of the team, Lily Vangraf. Due to the contrasting traits of a warrior being a short girl, she was quite well-known among adventurers. The confirmed news that she once had singlehandedly slayed a skeletal dragon had also reinforced the fame, and so it was hard for anyone else in the room to miss the obvious fact that her equipment had been updated.

Her helmet was now closer to being a full plate helmet with visor, obscuring her eyes from view. The wing decoration on her new helmet looked fancier and more prominent than her old helmet. The new pauldrons and gauntlets looked more complex in design and still looked tough, sporting a decorated cape which went halfway down the back of her legs. Instead of rigid plate armor, what she wore on her body now looked more like armored clothing, which somehow looked easy to move in and protective at the same time. Her new greaves looked tougher than her old ones, and they had wing decorations near the heel part like the helmet.

It was still easy to recognize Lily because her new looks still had the same trait unique to her alone among E-Rantel adventurers: bare thighs. Though unlike before, now she wore armored short skirts over her black tight shorts instead of the tasset which had been part of her old breastplate armor. Her weapon seemed to be still the same; two swords, sheathed neatly on each side of her waist, though her new gauntlets didn't have a shield like before.

The gaze upon the group didn't last any longer than three seconds, since it was common knowledge that staring at other people was rather rude, and nobody wanted to show disrespect towards the city's Adamantite Rank adventurers, even if not on purpose. And so everybody went back to their activities.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Tomb of Nazarick, Armory, One Day Before Present Time**

"Woah!"

Ryu, Alice, and Lily herself couldn't help getting astonished by Lily's new armor set, which looked similar overall but had more complex details and decorations.

Ainz had suddenly called the group over, saying that he wanted to give some useful things. The group had not had any reason to refuse, so they had come over with [Gate] provided by Ainz, and the first thing they received was a new full set of armor for Lily.

Lily looked at herself all around, admiring the new armor set she was wearing. Though she still had not worn the new helmet, which was still lying on the nearby table.

"Thank you, Papa!"

"Well, aren't you going to wear the helmet?"

"But I'm afraid my hair will get in the way. And the visor..."

Indeed, the new helmet didn't have openings at the backside for her long ponytail hair to go through. In addition, the visor of the helmet was rigid and she would need some time to get used to the vision obstruction.

"Try it first"

"O-Okay, Papa"

Lily then took the helmet and tried putting it on. What happened next was a surprise for everyone other than Ainz. The helmet went to her head with no trouble, and her ponytail disappeared without a trace.

"Wha-?"

Lily, seemingly surprised, took the helmet off. At this point, her ponytail reappeared, which once again surprised both Ryu and Alice. Lily herself didn't seem to notice what was happening, as she once again put the helmet on.

"I-I can see? I mean, it is as if the visor isn't there!"

Lily said it while rubbing the visor of the helmet with her hands, still not noticing the matter about how her helmet somehow hid her ponytail completely. Ainz let out a little laugh at this point.

"Hahaha! That's the beauty of magic equipment!"

"This is great! Thank you, Papa!"

"There's more. Try defending as if you have a shield like your old armor had"

"Huh?"

Lily seemed to be confused but she did it anyway, putting herself into a defensive posture with her left arm in front. Immediately, her gauntlet shined and a medium-sized shield materialized there.

"Woah!"

"You can also do that with the other gauntlet, but only one shield at a time"

Lily then tried defending with her right arm, and indeed the shield of the left gauntlet disappeared as a new shield materialized on the right gauntlet. She then went back into relaxed stance, and the shield disappeared.

"Do you like it, Lily?"

"I like it very much, Papa!"

Lily was very happy and excited, but Ryu couldn't help wondering about something, so he decided to ask even though he hesitated.

"Uhh, Ainz-dono. There's something I'm concerned about..."

"What is it, Ryu?"

"Why does the new armor set still leave her thighs bare?"

"I thought to keep her overall look the same as before. Is there a problem?"

"Well, it is easier to inflict damage to exposed skin, so I'm worried. That night at Nfirea's house, the female kidnapper stabbed her thigh all the way through. There was also one time when some kidnappers ambushed her with a poison dart to her thigh. And just recently her leg was bitten off at the thigh..."

"I see your concern, but you no longer have to worry about that. Lily, stay still where you are"

Ainz conjured a sword as he said that, and then he quickly did a stab right at Lily's right thigh.

 **CLANK!**

"W-Wha-?"

The sword was deflected by the bare skin of her thigh. There was no injury at all, not even the lightest scratch. Ainz just calmly unsummoned the sword as everyone else were bewildered.

"Unlike before, the enchantments on the new armor set are much stronger now. This is thanks to her evolution removing her equipment restrictions, so I can go all out in providing the new gear"

"Papa... why are you giving me so much?"

"Because we now have a new threat looming over this world, and as long as other ARKS are still not here, Ryu will be the only one knowledgeable about the enemies. I'm counting on you to protect him"

"Yes, Papa! I will protect him even if I have to die for it!"

"Lily, don't say that so lightly. Your life is as precious as any other residents of Nazarick, whom I consider as my own children. Even when you are protecting Ryu, you have to cherish your own life as well because you only live once"

Ainz said that, patting Lily on her back. Lily's face slightly blushed, perhaps because she was a little ashamed of her own words.

"Alright, Papa..."

"Now, let's move on to the next things I'm going to give you all..."

* * *

 *****Flash Forward*****

* * *

 **Present Time, E-Rantel Adventurer's Guild**

And so the sole warrior of Ignite Maximus had gotten a full equipment upgrade. Ainz had also given Ryu and Alice a few useful items, but Lily was the only one given a special treat. It was understandable since Lily was Ainz's child in a sense while Ryu and Alice were mere allies, but he couldn't help feeling a bit envious. In addition, he was also worried that Alice might felt the same despite not seemingly so.

Today, the group went to the guild just to check out if there were any jobs that would catch their interest. They actually had agreed to stay in the city as much as possible in case Darkers lurking in Katze Plains would become aggressive and attack the city, but so far nothing like that happened so they got bored waiting.

"Hey, Ryu-san. Look"

Alice pointed at one section of the job board. Ryu then noticed that one job note posted there was unlike any other. The paper was larger and seemed to be of higher quality, the writings on it were written in blue ink instead of the regular black, and the guild stamp at the bottom was more decorative than the plain stamp on other job papers.

"Is this... Adamantite Rank job?"

"Yup, haven't seen one for a long time"

For Ryu, it was the first time he saw a job of that rank. He was curious about it, since his team had just been promoted to Adamantite and this would be his first job of the rank should he accepted it.

"Let's take a look"

Ryu then read the text written on the job paper. Both Alice and Lily also read the note, and it didn't take long for them to finish reading.

"A demon has appeared in Baharuth Empire and wiped out tens of adventurers, including a promising Orichalcum Rank team. Pursue and eliminate the demon. This job is basically that"

"What do you say, Ryu-san?"

"I want to take it for two reasons, Liz-san. One, I want to experience an official Adamantite Rank job. Two, I believe Baharuth Empire is to the east, right? Someone I know went there, so maybe I can meet her by chance"

"Who is this person?"

"Mel Rose. She is a stranded ARKS like me"

"Whoa, so there is actually another ARKS? Why did she separate? I thought it was common sense to stick together"

Ryu looked around, making sure that nobody else was close enough to overhear. He then leaned over to Alice and spoke in a lower voice.

"To put it simply, she didn't like Ainz"

"Oh, I see..."

"For now, let's get briefed for this job. I bet the briefing of a job of this rank will be from the guildmaster himself"

Alice and Lily nodded as Ryu took the job note. He then went to the receptionist and gave the note. As expected, the group was told to go to the guildmaster's office for briefing, and so they went there and entered the room.

"Ah, Ryu-kun! Welcome!"

"Good to see you again, Ainzach-dono"

Ryu shook hands with Ainzach, and the other two followed.

"Ah, you have that paper, so I suppose you are going to take the international-scale job"

"Yes, so please fill us in on the information you have that is not mentioned in the job"

"Certainly. Please take your seats"

The group then sat on the available seats and then Ainzach began telling them additional information regarding the job. The demon in question first appeared at night some weeks ago and killed an escort adventurer mercilessly. A subjugation party consisting of multiple high rank teams had been dispatched the next day, but they had been almost entirely wiped out in a brutal way.

"That is all the information relayed to this guild. For further information you should meet the guildmaster of Adventurer's Guild in Rothar. Any questions?"

"Why is the job all the way here from Baharuth Empire? I believe there should be other Adamantite Rank teams over there, right?"

"From what I heard, the Adamantite Rank teams there all refused the job, fearing that they would just die like flies. According to witnesses, those who died were killed in a single hit. So both Adamantite Rank teams there decided to stand guard within the cities for defensive position advantage"

Hearing Ainzach's answer, Ryu began to hesitate. This demon could be as strong as Demiurge, and by all chances it might be a subordinate of Ainz. It would be bad if Ryu ended up interfering with whatever Ainz had planned. Still, this was his first chance at Adamantite Rank job and his own curiosity had won him over.

"Alright. We will depart as soon as possible"

"Be careful out there. Just a friendly reminder, it is not a shame to flee from an unwinnable battle"

"Understood, Ainzach-dono"

The group then left the office and went back downstairs. Once again, a lot of people down there looked at them briefly with an admiring gaze before continuing with their activities. Ryu felt a little awkward with it and tried his best to ignore it by speaking to the other two.

"Just to make sure. We are pretty much already prepared, right?"

"Yeah, this thing is practically a godsend"

Alice was talking about one of the useful items given by Ainz which she was carrying. In terms of looks, it looked like a simple travel bag commonly carried by adventurers. But it was actually a magic item which could store an enormous amount of items. In addition, things stored there would keep their condition and never decay. Thanks to this fact, the group had put a month's worth of food and drink into the bag.

"Let's depart immediately then"

The group then went outside the guild building and flew straight up. During their promotion to Adamantite, they had been told that their rank was pretty much a permanent free pass to every city and country associated with the guild, essentially giving them permission to fly over city gates and border checkpoints.

The group went into a rather high altitude which was still low enough not to have their vision towards the ground obscured by the clouds, but already high enough to make them no longer able to recognize people on the ground.

[Wind Shield]

Alice casted a spell, and an energy sphere appeared covering them. The spell's effect was to stop the wind from affecting an area, which was useful for this occasion because she was about to take out a map from her bag. Without the spell, the rough wind of this altitude would blow the map away. She took a few seconds to read the map and look around the surroundings, and then she pointed to a direction.

"Rothar is about straight that way"

"Nearly the same direction as Carne Village"

"Yes, but the distance is about three times as far. Double that distance, and you will arrive in Arwintar, the capital of Baharuth Empire"

"How long do we need to get there?"

"With our capabilities now? Just two hours, give or take"

"Let's go then"

All three of them then flew straight towards the direction Alice had pointed. Their speed was greater than when the aides of Marquis Raeven had transported them with Floating Board to Re-Estize, which was understandable since maintaining Fly and Floating Board at the same time would drain the mana of the aides too quickly if they didn't maintain the most efficient speed.

Ryu looked to his left where Lily was following him, and he couldn't help smiling in awe. The armor set from Ainz gave her access to a unique spell [Valkyrian Flight], which was essentially the same as regular [Fly] but did not consume mana at all and had no limitation unlike the Flight Necklace which had a duration limit of one hour, after which the necklace would need another hour to recharge. Ryu, being a special case, could keep charging the necklace with photon, effectively eliminating that limit. Alice could cast the spell herself and her own mana pool was more than enough to maintain flight until the necklace gets recharged, leaving only Lily with the limitation, which was no more now thanks to the unique spell.

But what made Ryu smiled in awe was the fact that [Valkyrian Flight] made Lily sprout a shiny pair of angelic wings which made her look gorgeous. Anyone not in the know would mistake her for an actual angel.

"Something wrong, Ryu-san?"

"Ah, no. Not really. It's just that... you look gorgeous with those wings"

"Huh? Uhh... thanks?"

Lily seemed to blush hearing Ryu's remark. Alice, who was positioned further to the left, then added to the conversation.

"Pretty much anyone would mistake you for a real angel"

Alice let out a little laugh after that, while Lily's face was getting more red from blushing. The trip continued anyway, and finally a city was in sight. The group stopped their flight and maintained a hover.

"Is that Rothar?"

Alice took out her map, casted the shield spell again, and checked the surroundings.

"Should be"

"Looks quite smaller than E-Rantel"

"E-Rantel is a frontier city near the borders of two other countries. It is natural for it to be large and heavily fortified"

"Yeah, makes sense. Anyway, do you know where the Adventurer's Guild of the city is?"

"Nope, never been there"

"Then we should go through the gate and ask for directions"

The group then landed near the gate of the city, and they naturally drew awed gaze from all the people there including the guards. In the end, they had no trouble entering since it was not hard for the guards to notice their Adamantite Rank plates. The guards also provided directions to the location of the guild when asked, so now the group knew where to go.

It didn't take long for the group to find the guild building, which was a three-story building. The group entered the guild building and found that the room inside was not that much different than the guild building in E-Rantel. Probably because such room arrangement was standard issue.

As expected, most of the people there stopped their activities and gave an awed look towards the group, very likely because of the Adamantite Rank plates the group wore. Ryu tried his best to ignore the stares, walking straight towards the receptionist.

"W-Welcome! How may I serve you?"

Ryu ignored the receptionist's bewilderment and gave her the job paper from E-Rantel guild.

"We are Team Ignite Maximus, and I would like to inquire for this job"

"R-Right away, sir! Please follow our staff to a conference room"

The group then followed a staff member to a conference room, which was essentially the same as the ones in E-Rantel guild.

"Would you like some food or drink while you wait?"

Ryu looked at Lily and Alice, who both shook their head in response.

"No, thanks. We're good"

"Alright, please wait a moment. The contact person will arrive as soon as possible. If you need anything, feel free to ask me. I will stand right outside"

The staff member then left the room and closed the door. The group then sat down on the available seats and waited.

"So, what do you think so far?"

"I felt like everyone downstairs back then stared specifically at me, Ryu-san. It felt somewhat... awkward"

"People tend to gaze on a person wearing full plate armor, and you pretty much are wearing one. Anyway, I can't say anything yet. Let's wait for the contact person to arrive, whoever that is"

The group then waited for another ten minutes, and the room's door opened. The ones coming in were a group of three Mithril Rank adventurers; Two men and one woman. One man was clad in partial armor befitting a warrior, the other man seemed to be a magic caster, while the woman seemed like a ranger.

"I apologize for the wait"

The bald warrior-looking man, seemingly the leader of the group, spoke as he walked into the room followed by the other two.

"We didn't wait for long. So it's alright. I am Ryu Seika. This is Lily Vangraf, and this is Alice Vegelshaft. We are Team Ignite Maximus"

"It's an honor to meet you. My name is Tibor, the ones behind me are our team's druid and ranger, Morian and Elize. We are your contact persons for this job, mainly because we are survivors of the massacre that happened"

Ryu shook hands with Tibor as he introduced himself. Everyone then sat down on available seats after exchanging handshakes.

"I have heard about the wipeout of the subjugation party. Are you the only survivors?"

"Actually, there are several others but... we are the only ones who still continue working as adventurers"

"Trauma, isn't it?"

"It's... a little more complex than that. I believe it is better so see for yourself, if you don't mind. I know one of them nearby"

"Alright, lead us"

All the people in the room stood up and walked from the room. Ryu's group followed Tibor's group, leaving the guild building and walking for several minutes towards the inner part of the city. They stopped at a simple two-story house facing a secondary street, the first floor of which was a weapon shop.

"Hey there"

Tibor greeted the shop owner, who currently had no customers. The owner, a middle-aged man, didn't seem too happy to see him.

"Oh, Tibor. What's your business here?"

"Is your brother here?"

The owner sighed hearing Tibor's question.

"Still the same. Go ahead if you want to visit him"

"Sorry about this, but is it alright if it's only Ryu-dono coming with me? The house is a little too cramped for comfort"

The shop owner just looked slightly displeased upon overhearing Tibor's words, which were quite loud and clear to begin with.

"Alright"

Ryu then followed Tibor to the second floor of the house. Across the stairs there was a door which seemed to lead into one of the bedrooms in the house. Tibor knocked the door three times and spoke.

"It's me! Tibor!"

A voice then replied from behind the door.

"W-What is your business, Tibor!? I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore!"

"Come out, Kendrian!"

"No! I can feel it! It is hunting me down!

"The demon isn't here! It's been weeks already!"

"It will find me and kill me in revenge! I'm sorry! I was just following orders! Please don't kill me-!"

A wail of hysterical cry could be heard from behind the door. Tibor just sighed and turned back to Ryu.

"This is one of the better cases. Other survivors I knew either lost their mind completely and had to be put into asylum, or committed suicide"

"Makes me wonder why your team didn't become like them"

"I will tell you later, after we regroup with the others"

Both Ryu and Tibor went back outside where the others were waiting. All of them were still there, having some idle chat.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, I will tell you"

Tibor folded his arms and leaned to a nearby wall.

"There is actually a piece of information still undisclosed about this job. In truth, there is a second demon"

Morian and Elize's face turned into displeased expression as they heard Tibor's words.

"Oh? Why is that information kept hidden?"

"Let me tell you first that I actually don't agree with this reasoning, but it was the guild's decision which I have to follow. Simply put, it is to increase the chance of the job getting accepted because like I said before, none of the Adamantite Rank teams here accepted the job. Telling that there are two demons would be a deterrent to other adventurers out there"

"Desperate measures, in other words"

"Yeah. Moving on, the second demon looked exactly like a normal human, and she infiltrated the subjugation party saying that she was a lone traveler wanting to move in a group. The party figured out her disguise at the next day and captured her for interrogation on where the other demon was hiding"

Tibor sighed, and so did Morian and Elize. It was Morian who then spoke out.

"The party's interrogation method was... rough, if you get what I mean"

Alice immediately spoke out, knowing what those words meant.

"They tortured her, didn't they?"

Morian sighed again.

"Indeed, under the command of our party leader at that time. An Orichalcum Rank. The three of us didn't agree with the method, so we only watched from the side. It was really hard for us to look at the scene without feeling pity for her"

As Morian told the story, Elize's face expression showed a horrified look.

"It was horrible. I can't ever forget her pained scream as they did that to her while cheering..."

"And I guess the wipeout happened?"

"Yes. The other demon suddenly rained the party leader and his two aides with decapitating arrows. We immediately turned tail and ran, not willing to see what happened next. It was later when we knew that the other demon had wiped out most of the subjugation party"

Ryu folded his arms and thought about the info he had obtained so far. There was still no clear indication on what the demon's motive was, but it was pretty clear that the demon wiped out the party to save the other.

"So, it was fear of retribution which made the other survivors like that?"

"Yes. We are still able to remain calm because we are clinging to the hope that the other demon saw us not the same as the others"

"Are there any leads on where the demons go after that?"

"Unfortunately no, Ryu-dono. With the huge loss, the city's guild was too shorthanded to do any further investigation. In fact, we were promoted from Platinum to Mithril just to fill the holes left behind by the wiped out adventurers"

"I guess the best thing to do now is to look at the scene and see if we can find any clues. Can you take us there?"

"Sure, though it is a forest quite far from here. A full day trip by walking"

"Hmm... All three of us can use Fly, but we need you all to guide us once we're there. Is there a way...?"

In the middle of his thinking, Alice poked Ryu at his shoulder.

"I have an idea, Ryu-san"

* * *

 *****Flash Forward*****

* * *

"Here we are"

"That's Adamantite Rank for you, huh?"

The entire group had just arrived at the edge of the forest where the wipeout had happened. Alice's idea had been simple. They had rented a carriage without horse and had Tibor's team sit on it, then a spell to reduce weight was casted on the carriage and the people on it. With that, Lily could easily carry the entire carriage and the people on it while flying.

"Let's get to the scene before dark"

It was still quite a number of hours until the sky got dark, but there was no telling how long this investigation would last, so it was better to be quick about it.

The group walked through the forest with Tibor's group at the front and Ryu's group following right behind. The natural path was fair enough to allow normal walking, so it was easy to chat while trekking through.

"Ryu-dono. Is it alright if I ask some questions about your team?"

"Depends on the question, but sure. Ask away"

"I have actually never heard about your team. How long have you been adventurers?"

"A few months, though Alice here joined the team after her old team was disbanded. We just got promoted a few days ago"

Alice then added to Ryu's answer.

"Two years for me, and you don't need to hide the fact that my old team was wiped out"

"Oh... I'm sorry for your loss"

Elize spoke out her sympathy. Alice just smiled slightly hearing that.

"Climbing to Adamantite within a few months... that's impressive!"

Tibor commented on the feat with an impressed tone. It wasn't difficult to see that he was genuinely impressed.

"Not that impressive compared to another team which started on the same day as us"

Upon hearing Ryu's words, Morian seemed to notice something.

"Oh, did you mean Darkness, Ryu-dono?"

"Yes. They climbed to this rank within less than a month"

"Impressive, alright! But don't be so humble. The fact that your team became Adamantite is already a proof of your capabilities"

Tibor laughed after saying that. Ryu was glad that Tibor finally could talk casually with him, since before now he had been speaking in a restrained manner.

"By the way, Ryu-dono"

"Yes?"

"You have every adventurers' gratitude for taking this job"

"Hmm? Isn't this just a normal thing to do?"

Morian then answered Ryu's question.

"Everybody's morale was rock bottom after the incident, even more so after knowing that none of the Adamantite Rank teams in the empire were willing to take the job. I could see it in everyone's eyes back in the guild, that your presence gave them a light of hope"

Ryu was speechless hearing that. He never thought that taking this job would have such significant impact. All the goals he had in his mind had been to experience a job of Adamantite Rank for the first time, and to take a chance of finding Mel Rose so she could be brought back to assist him in fighting Darkers and Dark Falz. He just realized that he had been taking this job too lightly.

Elize seemed to notice Ryu's expression.

"Is something wrong, Ryu-dono?"

"Ah, to tell you the truth, I took this job with a different goal in mind. Morian's words made me realize that I have been taking this job too lightly"

"It's fine, Ryu-dono! As long as we can get the job done nobody will complain!"

Tibor cheerfully spoke, and his words made Ryu feel relieved a bit.

"By the way, if I may ask, what is the goal you have in mind?"

"I'm looking for someone who went towards this empire the last time I saw her. I'm hoping to find her by chance during this job since a threat is looming over and I could use her assistance"

"A threat? What kind of threat?"

Ryu thought for a little bit. Since Darkers had already become a legitimate threat on this planet, it wouldn't hurt to spread awareness about them little by little, starting from a chat among adventurers like this.

"Ferocious monsters named Darkers. You probably haven't heard about them, but they exists. Exterminating them while protecting citizens is the goal of ARKS people like me"

"Indeed, we have never heard of them. So, this person you're looking for, is she an ARKS too?"

"Yes"

"Is she strong?"

"By all accounts, she is probably stronger than me"

"Wow, who is this person? What does she look like?"

"Mel Rose, or just Rose. She is a girl with long red hair and green eyes, and she is slightly shorter than Lily"

Tibor's team suddenly looked surprised and then their face turned grim upon hearing Ryu's answer.

"Is something wrong?"

"Ahh, n-nothing. We will arrive soon, so prepare for some wild monsters and maybe undead as well. There are a lot of dead bodies ahead after all"

While Tibor was speaking, suddenly Lily noticed something and spoke. Her voice sounded like she was excited.

"Ah, look!"

"Huh? What is it?"

Ryu looked at the direction where Lily was looking at, and then he noticed a squirrel on the branch of a nearby tree. It looked like a regular squirrel but its fur had multiple colors, and the colors were unusual. Ryu could see at least five different colors on it: green, blue, yellow, orange, and purple. In addition, it seemed that the fur pattern altered its colors constantly.

"A squirrel?"

"It's so cute! I wanna touch it!"

Without warning, Lily excitedly ran off towards the tree the squirrel was at.

"Hey, Lily! Wait!"

Alice shouted, but it was too late.

 **POOF!**

The squirrel suddenly made an explosion of some colorful powdery substance, which quickly engulfed Lily and obscured her from view.

"Seriously?"

Alice just bowed her head facepalming while the rest were bewildered, especially Ryu. Before he could ask, Alice explained.

"Don't worry. It's harmless, though there is a rather funny effect"

A few seconds later, the dust settled and Lily came back into view. But as Alice had said, the powder had affected Lily with its rather funny effect, making her as colorful as the squirrel which had ran away during the explosion.

Ryu and Alice approached the confused and colorful Lily while Tibor and his partners stayed on the natural road.

"Am I in trouble?"

Lily said that while grinning in embarrassment. Ryu felt relieved that Lily was alright, but he was slightly upset seeing that she could be that careless.

"You sure are. That squirrel could have been something much more dangerous"

"Eheheh... Sorry..."

Alice then readied her staff weapon.

"Stand still. I will wash the powder out"

[Clean]

Alice casted a spell on Lily which gradually cleaned the colorful powder off from her body. From the speed of the gradual cleaning, it would take about one minute until she would be cleaned completely. While this was happening, Alice took glances at Tibor's team, who seemed to be whispering at each other in worried face and trying not to be heard. They definitely were hiding something.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Curious on how Ryu's team will react when they find out that the 'second demon' is Mel Rose? Well, so do I! XD**

 **To reply to the comment of the concerned guest, rest assured that this story will only get abandoned if I suddenly get killed in a freak accident. If that happens... well... "Fk u, fate" I guess?**

 **See you again later!**


	49. Chapter 44: Scene of The Disaster

**Hello again.**

 **This is the final chapter of this arc. Let's begin without further ado.**

 **See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"What should we do, leader?"

"The hell should I know!?"

"This is really bad..."

Elize, Tibor, and Morian spoke to each other in low voice while the Adamantite Rank team they were accompanying got busy cleaning up one of their members. They had just heard a revelation which would compromise everything about the job.

Even though the three of them had believed from the beginning that Rose was not a demon and just simply happened to be a strong person, the fact still remained that a friend of Ryu, the Adamantite Rank team's leader, had been falsely accused and tortured by the subjugation party. None of the three wanted to imagine how Ryu would react if he learned the truth.

At this point, whatever the team would do was highly likely to produce bad outcome. Telling the truth would anger Ryu for sure, and he would at best forfeit the job. At worst, he might kill them out of rage or demand outrageous compensation from the guild for the false accusation against his friend. Being Adamantite Rank was essentially a free pass to get away with almost anything, so any of the two was still highly possible to happen.

Hiding the truth by telling lies or omit details was seemingly a safer option. However, the team had noticed that one member of the Adamantite Rank team, Alice, had been taking suspicious glances at them. The team had already been suspected from the moment they had heard the revelation.

The team needed more time to calm themselves and think, but suddenly...

"Watch out!"

 **CLANK!**

Tibor jumped from where he stood and with his warhammer he blocked a projectile which had been aimed at Morian's head. The projectile turned out to be an ordinary stone, but if would have hurt quite a lot if it had hit.

Elize immediately sharpened her senses and Ranger skills to detect the hostiles which had attacked them from a blind spot. She also immediately drew her bow in anticipation.

"Undead! I see seven skeletons!"

As soon as Elize spoke, seven skeletons came into view from behind the bushes. They all came from the direction of the group's destination, so those were likely undead spawned by the dead bodies on the site.

[Lesser Leaf Shield]

Morian casted a defensive buff spell over the team in preparation for the imminent battle. For the team, the skeletons were still rather easy opponents as long as they had the information on what each of them was armed with.

But suddenly, something flashed in front of their eyes, and within seconds all the skeletons were slayed. A few had been impaled with spears of light, while the rest had been slashed by Lily, the warrior of the Adamantite Rank team.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Are you three all right?"

Ryu asked as he walked to approach Tibor's team. He and Alice had quickly casted uncharged Grants photon tech to deal with some of the undead, while Lily slashed the rest. Her speed was simply inhuman, and Ryu couldn't tell whether it had come from her so-called 'lair-bellup' or the new equipment from Ainz, or a combination of both. In any case, she definitely would wipe the floor with that female kidnapper now if they fought again.

"Y-Yeah, we are all fine. Thank you"

Tibor answered nervously, perhaps because it was the first time he saw the power of Ryu's team.

"Good then. Let's move forward"

"R-Right! Let's move forward"

The entire group then proceeded to walk towards their destination. It took them just another five minutes until they arrived.

"Woah..."

Ryu expressed his astonishment about the scene. There were many dead bodies which had lost all their flesh, probably eaten by wildlife. Those remains were scattered all over the place in small pieces, so it was no longer possible to tell who was who. Some equipment and luggage still could be seen among the remains, but they all have been worn away by the elements. There were also small holes around, mostly near the bigger pieces of the remains.

"So, this is where the wipeout happened?"

Ryu asked while taking a look at one of the holes. The hole was as wide as his fist, and it was quite deep. This hole was probably the result of the demon's arrow rain attack, which also meant that each shot was very strong, being able to decapitate the target and then punch such a deep hole on the ground.

"Yes"

"And that means this place is also the place they tortured the second demon?"

"Y-Yes..."

"How did they do that exactly?"

"Well..."

Tibor then walked to one spot of the nearby cliff wall. At that spot, a few marks of damage could be noticed.

"They tied her up here with Ground Magic and violently unleashed all their attacks on her. Weapon attack, magic attack, you name it"

"Did they get anything from her?"

"Actually, no. She... insisted that she was not a demon"

"But the party confirmed that she really was, right?"

"Uhh, yeah"

Ryu thought about the answers he had heard so far. At this rate he was worried he would fail his first Adamantite Rank job. There was no clue at all about where both of the demons had gone to, and there was no news about their appearance sometime later either.

"By the way, Tibor"

"Yes, Ryu-dono?"

"You seem awfully nervous after that undead ambush"

Right as Ryu said his remarks, all three of the Mithril Rank adventurers showed a reaction. At this point, Ryu could notice that those three were trying to hide something.

"Look, I am not as sharp as Alice here, but I have learned a thing or two about reading other people, and it is as clear as day that you are hiding something"

Ryu folded his arms with a stern look on his face.

"You can't expect us to do the job properly if you still hide pieces of information from us. Before I demand you to spill the beans, tell me your reason for doing this"

"I... We... I mean..."

Tibor, and both his partners, hung their head speechless. The silent scene continued for half a minute, and then Ryu sighed.

"Liz, do you know something I don't?"

"Well, I do have a guess, but I'm not sure if you can bear it if my guess turns out true"

"We aren't going anywhere at this rate, so go ahead"

Alice, after hearing Ryu's words, stepped forward. All three of the Mithril Rank adventurers were dripping cold sweat at this point.

"The so-called second demon was Rose, wasn't it?"

Alice's question felt like a lightning strike for everyone else, Ryu and Lily included.

"W-What!?"

Ryu couldn't hide his surprise and disbelief. He looked back and forth between Alice and Tibor's team.

"Tibor, is that true!?"

Tibor and his partners remained silent for a brief moment, and then Tibor fell into prostration. Morian and Elize followed after seeing their leader's action.

"I'm so sorry! Indeed, the subjugation party has falsely accused Rose as a demon!"

Ryu became confused hearing Tibor's words. He was quite upset on what had happened to Mel Rose, but more than that, he genuinely wondered how she had gotten into such mess.

"Okay, okay. Calm down and take a deep breath, then tell me what she did that made her get into that kind of situation. But first, let's move to a place we can sit down"

The whole group then moved to a nearby place where there were some rocks which they could use to sit down. After they were seated, Tibor took a deep breath and began speaking.

"We didn't see it for ourselves, but the party actually almost managed to subdue the demon. But Rose suddenly interfered and escaped with the demon. A-At least, that was according to the party leader, Rodell"

Elize then nervously spoke, adding to Tibor's information.

"I lent her a smoke bomb in case she got into danger, and it turned out she used that smoke bomb to escape with the demon"

"Then, how did she get captured?"

Tibor took another breath and began speaking.

"One aide of Rodell was a Scryer. He put a tracking magic on Rose, who knows since when. The entire party moved together and found her in that small cave, and then the other aide of Rodell subdued her with binding magic"

Tibor pointed at a small cave at the cliff wall, just a few meters from the spot where Rose had been tied up and tortured.

"Did she tell you her reason?"

"Well..."

Tibor hesitated and fell silent for a few seconds.

"She was about to, but she got silenced before she spoke any more words"

Ryu clenched his fist without changing his body posture. He tried to stay calm, but it was probably very visible to everyone else that he was upset.

"Okay... So... How did they falsely confirm that she was a demon?"

Once again, Tibor and his partners fell into silence. Ryu couldn't help getting even more upset by this wasteful use of time.

"Come on, do you really prefer to stall and waste more time?"

Right after Ryu said that, Alice spoke to Ryu.

"Ryu-san, you won't do any harm to them after learning the hard truth, right?"

"Huh? Why should I-... Oh..."

Ryu then realized the probable reason why they had been silent. It was pretty much the same as the times when he himself had been silent and speechless in front of Ainz.

"Don't worry. From what you told us back in town, you were never part of the harm which fell on her. I am indeed upset right now, but I won't harm any of you out of rage or such"

Hearing Ryu's words, Tibor took a deep breath and then he began speaking once again.

"Rodell kicked her hard in the face but she remained unharmed from that. There are no known enchantments giving that much protection to bare skin, so..."

"...That's it? That was how they confirmed it?"

"Y-Yes..."

Ryu let out an angry-sounding sigh. He then noticed a nearby small rock which could fit into one's palm and took it.

 **SMACK!**

 **THUD!**

He smashed his own face using the rock. That smash was visibly hard enough to break the nose of any normal man. However, he immediately put the rock away and his face was shown to be still pristine, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Look, my face still remains unharmed. Does that mean I'm a demon? **Huh**!?"

Ryu then took another rock nearby which had a quite pointy end. Without warning, he used that rock to stab Lily's bare thigh.

 **CRACK!**

Instead, it was the rock itself which broke upon striking the target. Lily's thigh remained unharmed at all thanks to the armor's enchantments.

"Now does that mean Lily is a demon too, huh!? **YOU AGREED WITH THAT KIND OF BULLSHIT!?** "

Nobody else dared to speak. It was a complete surprise for them all, Alice and Lily included, to see Ryu this angry. He had been having the image of a calm, kind-hearted man, but what he had just done was the opposite of that image.

Ryu panted quite heavily, his expression was full of fury. He then took a deep breath and let out a big sigh while standing.

"I quit"

"W-what..?"

Tibor and Elize blurted out their reaction at the same time. They had somewhat expected this outcome, but they still couldn't help getting surprised.

"I'm aborting this job. I refuse to work for a place filled with prejudice like this"

"R-Ryu-dono! I know that our party leader back then has made a grave mistake, but I beg you to reconsider!"

Tibor dropped into prostration as he said that. Both Morian and Elize followed suit, and Morian spoke his mind next.

"Yes, Ryu-dono. You don't need to forgive, but please reconsider. If the real demon eventually rampages, nobody in the Empire other than maybe the Archmage would be able to stop it"

Ryu didn't say anything, but his face expression now showed that he was confused. Once again, he let out an angry-sounding sigh.

"Ryu-san, may I tell you something?"

Alice spoke, asking for permission. Ryu had no idea what this would be about, but his state of mind was too agitated right now.

"Go ahead... and you three, sit down normally. Prostrating won't change anything"

Once again, everyone of the group were all seated.

"Ryu-san, you are not from around here so you probably don't know yet. Are you aware that most nations here are no older than 200 years?"

"Well, no"

"This is because 200 years ago, a Demon God and his Evil Deities rampaged through the land and destroyed nations without any care before they were defeated by Thirteen Heroes. Ever since then, a fear of demons has been deeply rooted into the mind of every human being. No, I don't support what their party leader has done. My point is that some people take this fear into irrational levels, and Rose was simply unfortunate to meet such person in an unfortunate chain of events. Is that right, Tibor-san?"

Alice looked at Tibor as she spoke the last sentence.

"Y-Yeah. If we weren't in the middle of hunting an actual demon, or if she has not rescued the demon with the smoke bomb for whatever reason she had, it would have been likely that they would have just dismissed her as merely a strong person"

"Let's put it this way, Ryu-san. Won't you be skeptical if a Dark Falz suddenly claims that they have seen the light and want to atone?"

Ryu wanted to point out that Alice's analogy was off since a better one would be if there was a Dark Falz capable of perfect shapeshifting into any ARKS, but he still could grasp the message she was trying to convey.

"Just... give me a minute"

Ryu then stood up and walked a stone's throw distance away. He then leaned onto a tree with his arms folded as he took a deep breath.

 _I got emotional again... this is so embarrassing..._

A feeling of shame crept up Ryu's mind. It had been his weakness for a long time to lose his logical sense and act according to emotion whenever something got him triggered. With the powers he had, it would be just a matter of time until he did something irreversible and regret it later, like the genocide he had done to the foxman tribe.

Now that he has regained his calm, he could think logically again. Based on the story he has heard so far, the subjugation party's situation had been like this; They had managed to subdue the demon, but an outsider who had been tagging along had helped the demon escape. Moreover, the outsider was stronger than average human. Even rational people would be skeptical against the outsider in that kind of situation.

Deciding to make amends and not wasting any more time, Ryu went back to where the others were still sitting.

"Alright, I take back my words. I won't abort the job. But you have to tell me every truth you know"

Tibor's group looked very relieved and delighted hearing those words. They all immediately stood up and bowed in front of Ryu. Alice and Lily just smiled, seemingly delighted at Ryu's decision.

"Thank you, Ryu-dono!"

The group then walked back to the scene of the massacre and stopped near the torture spot. At this point, Ryu remembered something.

"By the way, you mentioned about pained scream. What did they use to put her in pain?"

Morian then spoke to answer.

"If I remember correctly, the aide said that it was an illusion spell to make the target feel pain without actually harming the body. I have no knowledge about such spell, though"

"Liz, do you know that spell?"

Alice thought for a moment, and then she spoke.

"Likely [Pain]. It is a third tier spell, and it can only be learned by being experienced in torturing people. It seems like your party leader was not really a good guy after all"

Ryu let out a small sigh hearing that. Of course it would have been a weird spell like that which could affect Rose so effectively.

"Figures. Anyway, did any of you see where the demon and Rose went after that?"

Elize was then the one to answer Ryu's question.

"Unfortunately no. We ran away as far as we could. Although..."

"You remember something?"

"Actually, before this event, the three of us went into a different cave. We didn't know that Rose was strong, so we asked her to wait outside with one smoke bomb I lent her just in case. We never had any chance to tell the party leader that we actually found traces of camping inside. Since it seemed the demon was found right outside when we were inside..."

"The demon might have been camping there"

Everyone nodded hearing Ryu's guess.

"So, did you find anything interesting there?"

"Unfortunately no, other than a makeshift bed and burnt wood from campfire, we found nothing else"

Ryu and Alice let out a sigh. At this rate, it would be difficult to complete the job because the demon had left no clue on its whereabouts. At this point, Ryu felt a little thirsty so he reached into his photon inventory behind his coat and took out a Mate Drink. He just felt like drinking something from home for this occasion, even though this medicinal photon drink was just the same as plain water without any injury to heal.

"Ah!"

Tibor suddenly shouted pointing at Ryu as he was drinking.

"That's the thing I saw!"

Ryu was confused hearing Tibor's words.

"What? This drink?"

"Yes, I think I saw a bottle like that near the campfire remains. But when I got close it suddenly just disappeared. What is that?"

"Well, this is a drink usually carried by ARKS people like me. After I drink it, the empty container can be thrown away anywhere and it will just disappear after a short while"

Ryu thought that there was nothing special since Rose was an ARKS too, so she should have some Mate Drinks in her photon inventory. But it seemed that Tibor's group showed an expression of surprise upon hearing his answer. They then looked at each other with worried looks.

"Hey, Ryu-san. Don't you get it?"

Alice asked him a question which Ryu didn't understand.

"What? Rose is an ARKS, so she should have some too"

Alice sighed hearing Ryu's reply.

"You didn't get it.."

Before Alice could begin explaining, Lily spoke out.

"Ryu-san! Rose-san never entered that cave!"

Hearing Lily's words, a feeling of revelation surged through Ryu's mind. He then asked some questions just to make sure.

"Are you sure that Rose never entered the cave? And are you really sure this was the thing you found there?"

"Yes, we are sure of it, and I'm pretty sure about the bottle. It looked peculiar to me, so I don't think I was mistaken"

Hearing Tibor's answer, Ryu came into a conclusion which would entirely change the objective of the job.

"The so-called demon is also an ARKS... That explains why Rose rescued them and the other way around as well"

Everyone else nodded as Ryu said the words. However, they all didn't look delighted in the slightest and Ryu could guess why. No matter what the so-called demon actually was, the fact still remained that they had killed dozens of adventurers. It was a fact which nobody could just merely shrug off.

"Frankly speaking, I'm now at loss on what to do next. Any ideas?"

"They are not demons and not dangerous, job's over! Right, Ryu-san?"

"Lily, it's not that simple"

"I know, but I wish it was..."

Lily made a sulking gesture as she said that.

"By the way, I forgot to ask how the supposed demon looks like. Have you seen them?"

"It's a shame but no. We turned tail and ran the moment we saw the energy bolts raining upon our party leader. But there was a description of them having horns and red left eye"

"Horns? One red eye? Definitely an ARKS, and a girl while at it"

Ryu knew for sure the moment Tibor mentioned the traits. Horns and heterochromia are the distinct traits of a race within ARKS operatives, namely Deuman. Deumans were born from some questionable human experimentation performed by ARKS Central Research Division, mainly by fusing a human with the genes of a certain dragon. Nobody could guess how much pain and suffering each Deuman has gone through before they became what they were.

This matter about Deumans had been a perpetual feeling of guilt for Ryu, because it had been him who had slain that dragon, enabling ARKS to perform research on the dragon's remains. If he had not done it, maybe Deumans would have never existed. And maybe...

"Hey, Ryu-san. You're spacing out"

"Huh? Oh, sorry"

It was Alice who snapped him out of his own musing.

"So, could you now tell everyone else what you know?"

"The other ARKS is a deuman, a race with the distinct trait of having one or two horns on their head depending on gender, and also differently colored eyes, usually one normal and one a lot brighter with unusual pattern"

"I have never heard of such race"

Everyone else seemed to be confused, agreeing with Alice's remark.

"Of course you haven't. It is a race born... from human experimentation"

The others were naturally surprised hearing Ryu's words. He didn't want to talk about it further, so he spoke to put the topic aside.

"Let's go back into the matter of this job. Now that we know that both demons are actually not demons, what should we do? I suppose reporting it as is will just turn them into fugitives, which will complicate matters in the future"

In order to function optimally as exterminator of Darkers, ARKS would need to have high standing among the locals of this planet. Having members branded as fugitives would drag down the standing of ARKS as a whole, hampering the cooperation of the locals. Ryu wanted to avoid this scenario in any possible way.

"Ryu-san. I have an idea, but it highly depends on their cooperation"

Alice looked at Tibor's group as she spoke.

"Let's hear it"

"Darkers can infect people's mind, right? We can report that the adventurers have been irreversibly infected by Darkers, so the ARKS killed them as an act of mercy"

Ryu looked at Tibor's group after hearing Alice's words.

"W-We didn't like Rodell and his aides to begin with. We will be fine to just go with that"

Morian and Elize nodded right after Tibor spoke. Ryu then looked back at Alice.

"Could work, but I'm not really a fan of false report..."

"Well, your options are clear. Unless you can think of another brilliant option, you have to make a decision"

"Hmm..."

Ryu took half a minute to think about his options. In the end, he decided that Alice's idea would be the best in the long term.

"Alright, we will go with that. But first, we need to sync the information we are going to report"

After a brief discussion to make sure nobody would contradict another, the group began walking back towards the carriage they had rented. They were going to return to Rothar and report the result of their investigation, with some made up info to protect the two other ARKS from further persecution by the locals. Ryu didn't feel well about this, but it was necessary to make things easier in the future.

During the walk, Alice spoke to Ryu.

"Ryu-san. I want to ask something, if you don't mind"

"Sure, Liz. What is it?"

"I'm... just wondering. You seemed to get upset hearing that Rose was tortured, but you didn't get really mad until you knew their reasoning and method for confirming her identity. Why is that?"

"I just simply hate prejudice and how they jumped into conclusion without enough proof. My sister, Hikaru, won't be able to freely stroll around those kind of people"

"Huh? Why?"

"Oh yeah... I haven't told you yet..."

Ryu took a deep breath before continuing.

"Hikaru is a Deuman, with more horns than normal Deuman while at it. She will definitely be branded demon on sight in this kind of place"

"Oh, I see... Sorry about that"

"It's alright. I just hope that she won't have to face this kind of treatment"

"If it makes you feel any better, I can understand how that feels. I have faced prejudice myself"

"Huh? What kind of prejudice?"

"I have never told you this, but in my early childhood I was raised by a vampire"

"What?"

"I don't know who my real parents were, and I probably will never know. All I know is that I spent my first four years under the care of a vampire whom I never knew what his name was. It all ended when a subjugation party raided the vampire's home and forced him to run away without me. I was then put into an orphanage where other kids often bullied me, shouting 'vampire child' over and over"

Alice let out a little sigh after saying that.

"Oh, sorry to hear that"

"It's all in the past. And there's a silver lining, which might have been also the main reason of their prejudice against me. I already could cast first tier spells and use a Martial Art by that time, probably because the vampire, whoever he was, has taught me during those days"

"Was that why you became an adventurer?"

"Pretty much, yes. I feel that I should make use of what I got. And who knows, maybe someday I will find out who my first foster father was"

"I sure hope you will. Let me know if you think I can help with something in your quest"

"Me too, Liz-san!"

"Heh, thanks..."

Alice smiled a little hearing the words from Ryu and Lily. The group continued walking without talking for a while, until Ryu broke the silence.

"By the way, I have heard about it a few times but I still don't know anything about it. What is Martial Art?"

"Well, to put it simply, magic casters have spells while warriors and other physical fighters have Martial Arts. They are fighting skills which can make you perform feats normally very difficult or outright impossible to do, at the cost of physical and mental fatigue. I can demonstrate one now if you want"

"Please do"

[Evasion]

Alice let out a red aura as she used her Martial Art.

"Try smacking my head with your bare hand"

Ryu hesitated for a bit, but he did what Alice had told him to do anyway. He fisted his hand and moved it to smack at Alice's head, but she dodged his attack smoothly.

"Wow"

The red aura dissipated as Ryu expressed his astonishment.

"That was a common Martial Art to heighten my senses against incoming attacks, so I can evade them easier. I believe Tibor over there can do a lot more Martial Arts. It is very rare for adventurers of physical class to climb above Gold Rank without at least one Martial Arts"

Alice looked at Tibor's group, who had been walking in front of Ryu's group. Tibor glanced back and gave his answer.

"Yeah, indeed. I can perform several"

"I see. Come to think of it..."

The conversation brought back a memory in Ryu's mind. The time when he had fought the two kidnappers with Swords of Darkness team. The female one had demonstrated incredible speed, and that probably had been Martial Arts.

"Lily and I once fought someone who was really fast. Her speed could have been Martial Arts. Kinda wish I could use those"

"What were those?"

"I think one was named-"

[Pace of The Wind]

Ryu's body suddenly let out a blue glow and his walking pace dramatically increased, making him overtake Tibor's group. Both Alice and Lily were surprised seeing that, and the same applied to Tibor's group. Ryu stopped his steps out of surprise.

"Wha-? What just happened?"

Ryu looked at himself, fully in bewilderment. His body glowed the same way as the female kidnapper back then, but it soon dissipated.

"Call me shocked. I think you just did a Martial Art"

"What? How? Why?"

"Don't ask me. But... try telling us the name of another Martial Art you remember"

"Uhh, okay. The other one I saw back then was-"

[Flow Acceleration]

Ryu's body then let out red aura. Alice immediately readied her staff weapon and cast a spell on Ryu.

[Magic Arrow]

An energy bolt was shot from Alice's staff right towards Ryu, who quickly evaded with incredible speed. Ryu was very surprised, not because of Alice's sudden attack but because of his own speed. His glow soon dissipated and he returned to his normal self.

"Alright, can someone tell me how and why I suddenly could do Martial Arts?"

There was a silence for a brief moment because nobody knows the answer. Alice was then the one who broke the silence.

"Tibor, can you name the Martial Arts you can do? Just mention the name without doing any"

"Oh, Alright. I can do Fortress, Smash, and Ability Boost"

"Ryu-san. Try doing those"

Ryu then tried as Alice had just instructed, but nothing happened. He then shrugged and shook his head as a gesture to signal that he couldn't do any of them.

"Now try doing the one I showed you"

"You mean-"

[Evasion]

Ryu's body let out red aura, which then dissipated after a few seconds.

"Ryu-san. I don't know how and why you have this trait, but you have the ability to learn Martial Arts just by having them performed near you, though it seems the effect doesn't last as long when you perform one"

"Whoa! That's incredible! Is that your Talent!?"

Tibor was surprised and excited as he said that. Ryu had no idea at all, but the sensation he had felt when Alice had demonstrated her Martial Art had been similar to using a photon disc to learn a new Photon Art or Photon Tech.

 _Could this be the same as the way locals on this planet can learn Photon Arts and Photon Techs by casting magic on the disks?_

"Beats me, really"

Ryu shrugged as he gave that answer. He didn't feel like revealing too much information to more locals than his own team and maybe Ainz for now. There were still too many unknown points and he didn't want incomplete information to spread too widely.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Singing Apple Pavilion, Fourth Day, 15:07**

"Ah, finally home!"

Hekkeran stretched his arms, feeling relieved after arriving at their home base. Indeed, as told by Rossaur, the guildmaster had sent them home free on a good note after reading the letter. He even had offered the group to make their temporary plates officially genuine, but they had decided to refuse the offer. All in all, their mission had been successfully accomplished, granting them a hefty sum of money.

"I can't be any happier now"

Imina said it with delighted face. The rest of the group followed, putting their luggage in one corner and then taking seats on the nearest chair available. At this moment, Hekkeran looked at Rose and Sheep and he began to hesitate if he should ask the questions or not. Right now, it just happened that there were no other people at close distance, so nobody else would overhear them.

"Alright, now that we're home, let's have a short meeting for job closure"

Hekkeran decided to hold a meeting instead. The others of the team nodded. The entire group then sat around their usual meeting table in a rather relaxed manner. Hekkeran was then the one to speak first as the leader of the group.

"First, on behalf of the team, I would like to thank both of you, Sheep and Rose. If any of you had not been there, this job would have ended in failure, and killed us all even"

"Right out of my mouth"

Imina added to Hekkeran's words.

"In total, we hauled 300 gold coins and 50 platinum coins from this job. As for how we divide this, I would like to let you two take the majority of it as gratitude for saving our lives"

Sheep looked at Rose after Hekkeran said those. Rose shook her head in response.

"You will make a better use of them than me"

"Same with me"

Sheep and Rose had made their decision of not taking any of the money reward, which didn't feel right for Hekkeran and the others of the team. They owed Sheep and Rose their lives, and they wouldn't feel right to give nothing in exchange.

"If that is your decision, then alright. Also, Sheep"

"Hmm?"

"I heard from Arche that you were looking for your lost brother. If you need us to look for information, don't hesitate to ask"

Sheep smiled hearing Hekkeran's genuine offer.

"Thanks"

"Hey, it's the least we can do. You saved our lives. The same applies to you too, Rose"

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Rose just smiled with blushing face while averting her eyes from Hekkeran.

"The reward money then will be divided evenly between the four of us. I believe we are all tired, so let's rest up for now. Meeting will resume after dinner"

And with that, the meeting dismissed. Hekkeran felt that it was not right to directly question them during a meeting right after expressing gratitude and offer to help. He believed it would be better to ask the questions lightly during friendly idle chat or such, and he would just wait for the right time to ask.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Singing Apple Pavilion, Fourth Day, 15:18**

Sheep and Meru, who was still taking the role of Rose, returned to their bedroom feeling quite exhausted. For Meru in particular, her exhaustion was more mental than physical. She had done a good number of missions for ARKS, but this was the first time she had experienced such a job. She stretched her arms and sat down on her bed.

"Uhh, Sheep..."

"Yes?"

"So, your shepperd... is your brother?"

"Yes"

"Are you sure, to be stuck with me all this time?"

"I told you, right? But one thing I wonder..."

Sheep smiled a little.

"What did you do to slay the doll?"

"Ah, it was a... Light element spell"

"Hmm, strange. The spell sounded familiar to me"

"Huh...?"

"Back in my place, there is a... spell, which makes a very distinct sound whenever cast. The sound was like the spell I heard back then when you cast it"

Meru couldn't say anything in response since she still didn't get what Sheep meant.

"The spell's name is... Grants"

" _WHAT!?"_

Rose suddenly shouted inside Meru's mind. Meru got shocked, both from Rose's shout and also the fact that had just been presented in front of her.

"S-Sheep... You're ARKS...?"

Sheep was silent for a few seconds, then she giggled.

"Took you long enough"

" _Seriously?"_

"Since when...?"

"Since the time I saw you casting some techs back then"

" _Meru! Scan!"_

Meru caught what Rose meant immediately activated her photon interface. But she felt that she need Sheep's consent for this.

"Sheep... May I?"

"Go ahead"

Every ARKS operative had the ability to scan the profile of other ARKS operatives. At the same time, each ARKS operative could choose which info in their profile they wanted to either open to public or keep private. Rose probably felt that doing this would be much faster than just conversing like how she had done with Ryu Seika, the operative she had met before. That was why she had asked Meru to use this method.

" _W-WHAT THE HELL!?"_

Meru was once again shocked by Rose's loud shout inside her head, and also by the first line of Sheep's profile she saw.

Name: Hikaru Seika

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **And with the revelation of Sheep being Ryu's sister, the arc is concluded. Coming up next is an intermission chapter before proceeding into Vol 7. The intermission chapter will hopefully be posted in one week, and the chapters afterwards will be posted every two weeks like it always been.**

 **See you again later.**


	50. Intermission 5

**Hello.**

 **Here is a short intermission chapter before proceeding to the next arc. Also, I have updated my gallery a bit. The links are still on my profile if you'd like to check it out.**

 **See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Alright... Here goes!"

[Lightning]

 **FLASH! CRACK!**

"Heh... Still no good..."

Despite the loud sound, the lightning coming out from Viviana's hand was still nowhere close to the one she had seen cast by Nabe back then. In fact, it dispersed too quickly to damage anything outside point blank range.

Viviana, formerly known as Ninya, sighed and lied down on the grassy open field, intending to rest her body a bit. She had been training Lightning spell as instructed by Ainz Ooal Gown, the one who had given her the tome for that spell, for three weeks. This grassy field at a corner within the walls of Carne Village was very suitable for her to practice the spell without risking damage to the environment, and lying down on the ground like this under the sunshine and light breeze felt very comfortable..

"Hey, Vivi. How did you do today?"

Suddenly, a question came from a familiar voice nearby. Viviana didn't need to look to identify, so she just kept lying down looking straight up.

"Still no good, Peter"

Peter sat down on the ground right next to Viviana. He let out a relaxed sigh, enjoying the smell of green grass carried by the cool breeze.

"Take it easy. I'm no magic caster, but I know that a third tier spell normally takes years to learn. Yet you've already gone this far in mere three weeks"

"Yeah, but I just don't want to fail him"

"I don't think he expects you to learn it so quickly. I remember that all he asked is for you to report your progress regularly"

"I know, but if I report that I made no progress, I will be shaming myself in front of his benevolence"

"You should take it easy for a bit. Look at Lukrut"

"Heh..."

Viviana chuckled a bit hearing Lukrut's name. That guy was still as lively and carefree as ever, but recently he somehow got close with a local girl. A former Iron Rank adventurer named Brita. Viviana had seen the two of them training together since it just so happened that their skills matched, so they could teach each other a thing or two.

"He finally scored a girl after failing too many times to count"

Peter let out a small laugh saying that, and Viviana followed suit. She still remembered Lukrut's streak of failures, and seeing him making a real result for once was quite an astonishment.

"Yosh!"

Viviana stood up. Her face was filled with determination. She believed that with persistence she would bring results like Lukrut.

"Still going to try?"

"Yeah, Peter. Thanks for the company"

"Lunch time is near. Don't push yourself"

"Right"

Peter stood up and left Viviana alone in her practice. The sun was bright and Carne Village was still as peaceful as ever.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Somewhere in the wilderness, a man stood straight in triumph, atop a pile of corpses. Those bodies were the remains of enemies he had killed in a recent battle. They were humanoid in physical features but not human at all. Their facial shape were more like goats, with horns and all.

This man was none other than Elder. His escape from his defeat in the battle against the dark warrior had led him to this place in the middle of nowhere, and it had not taken long before he encountered these hostiles, which he had easily obliterated.

"Heh, weaklings. Whatever"

Elder absorbed the energy of the defeated enemies. The amount of energy he could get from these weak creatures wouldn't be of any help in making him stronger, but it would at least help him recover his wounds and allow him to summon Darker minions again.

"This area is teeming with weaklings. Hmm..."

Elder tried summoning a few Darkers with his newly gained energy. All he managed to summon were merely a few Dagans, but he ordered them to run wild anyway since he there would be no loss even if they were defeated later.

Elder walked away from the pile of corpses. While he would gain no strength in defeating weaklings, he could always use the energy to summon more Darkers, which would then kill more creatures and gain more energy for him. Once fully recovered, he would resume his quest for power and finally challenge that supreme energy he had once sensed alongside that ARKS guy.

 _Crack!_

"Huh?"

Elder looked back after hearing a strange sound behind him. It sounded like a glass cracking, which was strange since there was nothing made of glass around. He looked around in a fully alert state, but nothing happened after a full minute of silence.

"Guess I was mistaken"

Elder turned again and resumed his walk. He would need quite a while to recover, so he believed that he better get started immediately.

Little did he know, that one of the Dagans he had summoned disappeared without a trace.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Re-Lobell was a city within the Re-Estize Kingdom, located at its western edge. Since the city bordered the coast, it was natural for it to have become a port city. Various kinds of ships go from and to the port for different reasons such as trade with Holy Kingdom or fishing operations. There were also military ships standing by in case of emergency such as hostile military aggression or rampaging sea monsters. Neither of the two had ever happened for a long time, so the men pretty much had nothing to do other than regular training.

"IT'S THE SEA!"

Right on one beach in the vicinity of the city, Lily shouted very excitedly. Her excitement drew some confused look from nearby pedestrians.

"LOOK, RYU-SAN! ALICE-SAN! THE SEA IS SO BIG!"

Ryu and Alice, who were some distance behind Lily thanks to her running ahead in her excitement, couldn't help hiding their faces a little in embarrassment. Ryu had no idea why, ever since she had gotten her 'lair-bellup' back then, Lily behaved in more unrestrained manner. On one hand, Ryu felt glad that she seemed to have more free will than before, but on the other hand her behavior was like a child, which felt unfit with her strength and rank as an adventurer.

"Lily, I know you're excited but remember that we're here not for sightseeing"

"Eheheh, sorry..!"

"But we still have nothing to do for the moment, so feel free to enjoy yourself for now I guess"

"Thank you, Ryu-san!"

Indeed, Ryu's group was there not for sightseeing, but for another Adamantite Rank job just three weeks after closing the previous Adamantite Rank job at the Empire. There were news of the guardian of the sea, known as the Sea Dragon, showing strange activities. Normally, the Sea Dragon was a benevolent being which would protect ships from harm as long as it was properly respected. However, lately it started to randomly bump passing ships, causing damage to the goods stored inside and also injuries to the crews. So far there had been no major accidents, but the frequency of this happening gradually increased, and the officials worried that it would be just a matter of time until it did something more drastic like sinking the ships outright. Therefore an Adamantite Rank job was posted to investigate the cause, and subjugate the Sea Dragon itself if all else failed.

"I sure hope this was not caused by Darker infection"

Ryu spoke his concern. The distance from E-Rantel to Re-Lobell was longer than the distance from E-Rantel to Re-Estize Capital. Even with the team's access to flight, it had taken them a good amount of hours to arrive there. If Darkers really had emerged here, he would have no other choice other than asking for Ainz's assistance, which he preferred not to despite Ainz's willingness to help. The fact that no Darkers had ever appeared over nearly a month after the encounter with Elder back then raised a concern that Elder might indeed had spread Darkers somewhere else far away.

"Yeah, we will be spread too thin if those Darkers really have reached this far"

Alice agreed with Ryu's concern.

"Anyway, so we now just wait?"

"I suppose so"

Since the matter concerned a great being like the Sea Dragon, the guild decided to assemble a large party of adventurers instead of just depending on a single Adamantite Rank team. It would take some time until the teams were gathered, so Ryu's team was pretty much free until then.

"Then..."

Ryu looked at Lily, who still was running around in her excitement at the sea.

"I guess we can go sightseeing for a bit anyway"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

In the conference room within Tomb of Nazarick, most of the important figures were sitting around the large table in the room. As Ainz had instructed before, the meeting was put on hold for a one-hour break, and now that one hour had almost passed, so everyone had readied themselves to resume the meeting.

As expected, both Ainz and Albedo entered the conference room right on time to resume the meeting. All the floor guardians there stood up to give their respect as the two figures took their seats. In the middle of this happening, everyone couldn't help noticing that Albedo seemed to be somewhat happier than before. Nobody wanted to inquire, though, since there was no reason other than curiosity at this point. They would only inquire if it would affect the important matters at hand.

"Alright, we're all here. We will now resume the meeting. So..."

Ainz took a deep breath, despite having no need to do so.

"It comes to my concern that there is a matter which might be more pressing than our quest for world domination, and that is the appearance of Darkers and Dark Falz"

Ainz stopped briefly to clear his nonexistent throat.

"As you have seen, the Darkers are creatures of indiscriminate destruction, and according to the encounter we had, the Dark Falz named Elder is a thrill seeker who simply just wants to fight. It would be just a matter of time until Elder dares to challenge Nazarick, and we can't ever underestimate our enemies no matter how weak they seem to be"

Demiurge then responded to Ainz's words.

"Certainly, Ainz-sama. I fully understand your concern. There is no use in world conquest if we are unable to repel such a simple threat"

"Correct. Before we begin expanding our territory, we need to make sure we can defend ourselves first. I would like Nazarick to experience real intruders, no matter how weak, to test if our defenses are still working as they should after we got transported into this world"

"In that case, Ainz-sama. The first part of the plan I have for world conquest can be used for that purpose"

"Hmm, let us all hear it"

"Certainly, Ainz-sama"

Demiurge then began explaining his plan in detail. In short, some kind of bait information would be placed in the Empire to incite the Emperor into sending expendable persons into Nazarick's location. Ainz actually didn't really like the plan since it would involve him revealing his identity and the location of Nazarick to yet another person, but he couldn't come up with any better plan himself.

"Hmm, alright. We will go with that plan, and follow up with it depending on the outcome"

"Your approval is a great honor, Ainz-sama"

"Let's move to the next topic. Pandora's Actor"

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

"Do you have anything to report regarding that Elder Pain sword and the photon armor?"

Indeed Ainz had tasked Pandora's Actor and the Chief Blacksmith to do a research on the sword left behind by Elder and also the photon armor Ryu had given him and Narberal back then. Ainz wanted to know the strength of that sword and see if the facilities of Nazarick could mass produce the armor.

"As for the sword, so far me and the Chief Blacksmith have appraised that the sword is about on par with a Legacy Class item in raw strength, but it has a strange property"

"What strange property?"

"It seems the sword has a dormant potential within, but how to awaken the potential is still a mystery. Though we still managed to see that the dormant potential is the same as Shalltear-dono's Spuit Lance. _Es ist interessant,_ isn't it _?_ "

"Interesting indeed"

Ainz leaned forward and nodded his head, a sign that he was genuinely interested. Lifesteal effect was very useful in many kinds of situations, as it would allow one to fight more aggressively without stopping to heal much of sustained damage. Therefore, it was a given that obtaining that effect was very difficult. Having a new weapon with that effect would be a fine addition to his collection of weapons.

"So, what about the photon armor?"

" _Es ist bedauerlich_. We still haven't found any interesting properties on those. In fact, the protection from the energy shield coming from the device is only as strong as a High Class item"

Despite the tier name, High Class item was the third from bottom out of eight total in the tier list of items, so for Ainz and anyone in Nazarick, a High Class item was pretty much trash. Ainz could assume that Ryu had given him and Narberal only the spare device he had, while Ryu himself was equipped with a much better photon armor device.

"Ryu claimed that the armor protects against Darker infection, which we know is very dangerous. Demiurge has learned it the hard way. We need to be able to mass produce such effect so we can prevent any repeat incidents regarding this"

" _Leider,_ we can't know for sure until we get an infection source to test with"

"Umu, that's true. Obtaining one can be dangerous, though. Anyway, continue the research for now and report to me if you find something"

" _Freilich_ , Ainz-sama"

"Now, does anybody have anything else to discuss?"

Nobody responded to Ainz's question, therefore Ainz assumed that there were no more things to discuss in the meeting.

"Then let us close this meeting and proceed with the course of action we have agreed upon"

" **As you command, Ainz-sama"**

All the others in the room voiced their agreement. Ainz could only hope that everything would go smoothly, which most of the time would never be the case.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Before starting the next arc, I'd like to ask a question. Would you prefer updates of short chapters every week, or regular-sized chapters every two weeks? I have been doing the latter, but I might reconsider depending on the responses.**

 **In any case, see you again later.**

* * *

Updated Character Sheets

* * *

 **Name:** Ryu Seika

 **Height:** 173 cm

 **Appearance:** See cover image or gallery

 **Class:** Force level 70

 **Sub Class:** Techer level 70

 **Skill Build:** Thunder Element and Dark Element focused

 **Main Weapons:** Weddle Park Rod, Gal Wind Talis

 **Reserve Weapons:** Rod of Caduceus, Wand of Elysion, Dahgash Talis, Metal Ignis Talis, Heretic Saw Talis, Motav Prophecy Talis, Seimei Kikami Talis

 **Special Perks:**

*. Photon Inventory. Works the same way as Ainz's inventory system.

*. Photon Armor. A defensive invisible energy shield, giving protection to the whole body.

*. Photon Clothing. Enables instant change of clothes.

*. Photon Blast - Julius Nifta. Creates an energy sphere which pulls everything within one kilometer radius into it and disintegrates those touching the sphere.

*. Ring of Minor Protection. Guards against all low level ailments.

*. Ring of Nullification. Guards against harmful spells up to tier two. Has three charges which replenishes each day.

*. Flight Necklace: Enables the use of [Fly] spell.

*. Misc. Items: A number of useful items given by Ainz.

*. Photon Absorption: Able to copy Martial Arts performed in close distance.

*. Martial Arts: Evasion, Pace of The Wind, Flow Acceleration.

* * *

 **Name:** Lily Vangraf

 **Height:** 148 cm

 **Appearance:** See gallery (Link at author's profile)

 **Class:**

Loyal Dog (Level 10)

Devoted Dog (Level 10)

Fighter (Level 15)

Warrior (Level 15)

Champion (Level 15)

Battlemaster (Level 10)

The Creature Within (Level 0)

 **Equipment:**

Helmet of The Valkyrie (Enchanted)

Armor of The Valkyrie (Enchanted)

Gauntlets of The Valkyrie (Enchanted)

Greaves of The Valkyrie (Enchanted)

Swords of The Valkyrie (Enchanted)

Ring of Nullification. Guards against harmful spells up to tier two. Has three charges which replenishes each day

Flight Necklace: Enables the use of [Fly] spell

 **Special Perks:**

*. Wings of The Valkyrie (5 Pieces): Greatly increases speed and enables access to [Valkyrian Flight] spell

*. The Creature Within: Increase of all stats according to level.

*. Nullified Creature Within: Reduces the level of The Creature Within to zero because natural total level exceeds limit.

*. Photon Arts: Various foreign attack moves, bestowed by Ryu

*. Armor Enchantments: A plethora of enchantments on her armor, bestowed by Ainz.

*. Class Skills: A plethora of skills from the new classes gained from her evolution.

*. Misc. Items: A number of useful items given by Ainz.

* * *

 **Name:** Alice Vegelshaft (Liz)

 **Height:** 157 cm

 **Appearance** : See Gallery (Link at author's profile)

 **Level:** 24

 **Talent:**

Hierophant of Language: Able to instantly learn new language if certain conditions are met. Also can instantly bestow knowledge of already known language to other people at great mana cost.

 **Job Levels:**

Wizard: Level 6

Sorcerer: Level 5

Elementalist (Fire): Level 6

Scholar: Level 7

 **Equipment:**

Wizard's Robe

Simple Short Dress

Leather Trousers

Leather Boots

Staff of Lesser Mana Regeneration

Flight Necklace: Enables the use of [Fly] spell

Travel Pack: A storage bag capable of storing much more items than its appearance would suggest

 **Special Perks:**

*. Photon Techs: Various foreign spells, bestowed by Ryu.

*. Misc. Items: A number of useful items given by Ainz.

*. Martial Arts: Evasion.

* * *

 **Name:** Mel Rose (Meru and Rose)

 **Height:** 144 cm

 **Appearance:** See Gallery (Link at author's profile)

 **Class:** Force level 75 (Meru), Braver level 75 (Rose)

 **Sub Class:** Techer level 75 (Meru), Fighter level 75 (Rose)

 **Skill Build (Meru):** Fire, Dark, and Light element focused.

 **Skill Build (Rose):** Full offensive glass cannon

 **Main Weapons (Meru):** Nox Lipher Rod, Nox Krieg Talis

 **Main Weapons (Rose):** Nox Sagephus Katana

 **Reserve Weapons** : Koushousen Talis (Meru), Simple Short Sword (x2)

 **Special Perks:**

*. Photon Inventory: Works the same way as Ainz's inventory system.

*. Photon Armor. A defensive invisible energy shield, giving protection to the whole body.

*. Photon Clothing. Enables instant change of clothes.

*. Photon Blast - Ketos Proi. Gradually heals and significantly regenerates mana while it is active.

*. Photon Absorption: Able to copy Martial Arts performed in close distance.

*. Martial Arts: Enhanced Magic Resistance, Impenetrable Fortress.

* * *

 **Name:** Sheep (Hikaru Seika)

 **Height:** 155 cm

 **Appearance:** See gallery (Link at author's profile)

 **Race:** Deuman

 **Class:** Braver Level 70

 **Sub Class:** Hunter Level 70

 **Main Weapon:** Zam Ranazan Katana, **B?i*?e I#?ig*?a**

 **Reserve Weapon:** Vibrace Bow

 **Special Perks:**

*. Conceal Object: Illusion magic casted on her horns to make them invisible

*. Alter Object Color: Illusion magic casted on her left eye to make it identical in colors to her other eye

*. Photon Inventory: Works the same way as Ainz's inventory system.

*. Photon Armor. A defensive invisible energy shield, giving protection to the whole body.

*. Photon Clothing. Enables instant change of clothes.

*. Photon Blast - Ketos Proi. Gradually heals and significantly regenerates mana while it is active.

*. Photon Absorption: Able to copy Martial Arts performed in close distance.


	51. Chapter 45: Reviewing The New Job

**Hello again, all.**

 **The time has finally come to proceed with the next Volume, which is the 7th. A lot of things will surely change with the additional factors coming into play compared to canon. Without further delay, let's begin the first chapter of the arc.**

 **See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Hikaru... Seika...?"

"Yup, that's my real name. I'm already used to everyone calling me Sheep, though"

" _Seriously, what the hell?"_

Both Rose and Meru were perplexed by the revelation they had just seen. Sheep being actually an ARKS was already shocking, but on top of that she turned out to be the sister of that ARKS guy they had met before. What were the odds of such encounter happening?

Meru still had to make sure, though. While 'Seika' was already a rather unique name, the chance of this being a coincidence was not zero.

"Sheep... Is your brother... Ryu Seika...?"

Sheep's expression changed as Meru asked the question. Without giving time to react, she grabbed Meru's shoulders.

"Did you meet Ryu-niichan!? Is he alright!?"

"Y-Yes. I think he was alright"

Sheep went silent hearing Meru's answer. Gradually, she began smiling and leaking tears. Both Meru and Rose could easily guess that Sheep was glad hearing that the person she had been looking for was still alive and well.

"Thank you! I'm so glad knowing Ryu-niichan is alright!"

Sheep hugged Meru as she said it. Even Rose, who was not in control of the body, could feel Sheep's genuine happiness.

" _Meru, should we tell her... that her brother might be under control of an evil undead?"_

" _We're not even sure if that's really the case, Rose"_

" _I can't think of another reason he allied himself with that undead, but whatever"_

It took a full minute until Sheep let go of Meru. She really looked delighted, unlike her usual calm and rather cold expression she had been showing before.

"Where did you meet him? How's he doing now?"

"I met him... far from here"

Meru couldn't give definite answer since she truly didn't know how far the spot where she had last seen Ryu was from here. Some part of the trip having been spent while tied up and blindfolded inside a closed carriage didn't help either.

"Also, Sheep. Maybe you won't like this but... He was an adventurer when I met him"

Sheep's expression changed the moment she heard it, but then she seemed to be thinking for a brief moment and let out a little sigh afterwards.

"Figures. Can't survive without this planet's money after all. Ryu-niichan must have thought that way"

"Sheep... May I ask... how did you get here?"

"I stole a Gate Ship"

Sheep spoke that answer with a straight face, as if it was just a minor thing.

"What...?"

"ARKS would need months to get here, something about calibrating the warp drive. I just simply cannot wait that long"

" _What? It doesn't make sense. They shouldn't take that long"_

Rose questioned the long time it would took for the fleet to arrive, but Meru realized something else.

"Sheep... If ARKS acknowledged this planet... doesn't that mean...?"

"Yes, Darkers are on this planet"

"But it is strange that we have never seen any yet"

"Indeed. I know nothing more about that matter, unfortunately"

"By the way, Sheep. Is the Gate Ship you stole...?"

"Crashed and useless now. I guess they weren't lying when they said that I would risk the Gate Ship blowing up warping here"

" _What kind of fool is she, coming to help but ending up stranded just like her brother?"_

" _Hush, Rose..."_

"I tried reaching to Ryu-niichan, but it seems my comm broke when I crashed on this planet. I can't even pick yours up right now"

Sheep tapped on an area near her ear with her finger. Meru then tried using her own communication device, and indeed she couldn't pick Sheep up. She also tried if she could pick up Ryu's location, but there was no result. Both Meru and Rose knew that their communication device was on Safe Mode. It was a short range mode which would trigger upon entering places where operating normally would compromise the device. Forcing a normal mode would risk breaking the device completely, so they never attempted it. At this point they could only assume that Ryu's location was beyond the maximum range of the communication device.

"Sheep, now that you know... Are you going to look for your brother?"

Sheep shook her head and let out a small laugh hearing Meru's question.

"I'm not going to search blindly like a fool. Maybe I will take Hekkeran's offer and see if he can find more info about Ryu-niichan first"

Both Meru and Rose was a little surprised that Sheep was more logical than they had expected. Indeed, with the current situation, Meru herself believed that staying put and gathering information would be the best course of action.

"You're right, Sheep. But I'm a little worried... Do you think we should tell them that both of us are ARKS?"

"Hmm... Well, I say that at least one or two of them already suspect that. They have seen you summoning your weapon and storing it away like I did, after all"

"Yeah... You're right..."

"I guess we better tell them everything during the next meeting and see what they will say in return, though I think I have to tone down a few things since this planet's civilization level is still too far behind to believe about spaceships and such. Don't worry, Rose. We will stick together for as long as you need it"

Sheep held Meru's hands as she said it, trying to assure Meru. Her smile was genuine, and Meru couldn't help feeling grateful for it.

"Thank you, Sheep"

" _Meru, I say we also stick with her to be her ally in the case her brother is really under control of that undead"_

" _How nice of you, Rose... Yes, of course we will"_

" _Hey, it's the code of ARKS to stick together in difficult times! It's not personal or anything, okay!?"_

Meru just laughed a little in her mind, seeing Rose's obvious denial.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Later in the evening, the tavern of Singing Apple Pavilion had quite a party. Hekkeran had decided to announce that every food and drink would be on him in celebration of the team's accomplishment. Imina could only shrug and sigh looking at his splurge, though she was not entirely unhappy. After all, the money they had obtained was enough to buy out the entire inn. Giving a treat to this many people wouldn't make much of a dent on his wallet, and he would build better relationship with other people.

Rose and Sheep just sat down on seats located at a corner of the room, seemingly not used to the crowd. Roberdyck, being not too fond of this kind of crowd himself, approached the two girls and sat near them.

"Not used to crowd, eh? Me too actually"

Both the girls didn't respond with any words, making the situation awkward for Roberdyck. He then tried bringing up another topic to end the awkward silence.

"H-Hey, I want to say that you were amazing back then, Rose"

"Hmm? When?"

"When you stood your ground against that burden spell. I didn't know that you could do the same magic resistance Martial Art as mine!"

"Oh... Umm, Roberdyck-san... Actually, it seems that I... copied yours"

"Huh?"

"When you used your Martial Arts near me, I... somehow learned to do them within that instant. I don't know how and why I could do that"

"T-That's even more amazing! It must be a Talent, a very rare one!"

Arche approached the group as Roberdyck said it. She also didn't seem to like the crowd unlike Hekkeran and Imina.

"Hey, something interesting came up?"

"Oh, Arche! You won't believe this!"

Roberdyck excitedly told Arche what he had just heard from Rose. Arche just smiled hearing him, while Rose seemed to be worried. Arche, seemingly noticing, looked at Rose without changing her expression.

"I don't know if that really was your Talent, Rose. But I do know that it has saved our lives. There is nothing to worry about"

"B-But... Isn't it unfair? Roberdyck-san has trained really hard to learn his Martial Arts, while I just instantly copied them..."

Before either Roberdyck or Arche could answer, Sheep took the role for them. She spoke while leaning on her seat with her arms folded.

"Life is unfair, Rose. Sooner or later you just have to accept it. What matters more is the thing you can do in response to the unfairness, either against you or in your favor"

Rose was silent hearing Sheep's words.

"I share the same view with Sheep, Rose"

Arche spoke as her eyes glowed briefly. She then continued.

"I have this rare Talent which enables me to see and measure the magic potential of others. The only other known person to have this Talent is... well, Fluder Paradyne"

"The guest whom we didn't get to see, right?"

"Yes, Sheep. My point is that some people will see this as unfair no matter what, but I just live my life and make good use of this gift I have, and you should do the same, Rose"

"T-Thank you, Arche-san"

"Hey, you can call us all with just name"

Roberdyck nodded as Arche said it.

"By the way... There is something I... we need to tell all of you"

"Really? I'll go fetch those two then. Back in a second"

Roberdyck then left the group to call Hekkeran and Imina. It didn't take him more than five minutes until he returned with both.

"Hey, Rose. Rober told us that you want to tell us something. What is it?"

None of the Foresight members showed any suspicion or such. They were all genuinely just eager to hear what Rose wanted to say, since for them it would mean that Rose has been slowly but surely recovering from her past trauma.

Rose glanced at Sheep before she began speaking.

"I-I really had no idea before, but just this afternoon... I realized that... Sheep and I came from the same place"

The four Foresight members didn't look surprised hearing that. Instead, they looked delighted. Imina was the one who then spoke in response.

"That's a relief, Rose! It means you're not alone in a foreign land!"

The other three nodded with a smile hearing that. Rose seemed to be surprised seeing the response, while Sheep looked slightly relieved.

"So, would you tell us a thing or two about the place you came from if you don't mind?"

Hekkeran asked the question without ill intent. He merely believed that there was much gain and no loss in knowing the depth of his partners.

"I will be the one speaking then"

Sheep leaned forward as she said that. All the others sat down and paid full attention to her.

"We came from a country named Oracle. Within Oracle, there is a military organization acting as the vanguard against coming threats. This organization is named ARKS, and its members are called ARKS Operatives. Both me and Rose are such members"

All four Foresight members didn't say anything. None of them had ever heard about such country, so it must be really far away from here.

"There are a number of major cities within Oracle, such as Feoh, Ur, Themis, and many more. I came from Ur"

"I-I came from Laguz"

"Unfortunately, Ur has been recently devastated and my brother went missing during the disaster. I heard news that he is here somewhere, so I came for him. That's all I can say"

"As for me... I actually don't remember how I ended up so far away from home, so I made things up about myself. I'm sorry!"

Rose bowed frantically as she apologized. The four members still needed some time to let everything sink in. Everything that had been said had changed their view about the outside world beyond the borders of the major countries they knew.

"Hekkeran..."

Hekkeran was startled hearing his own name called by Sheep.

"Y-Yes, Sheep?"

"I would like to take you up on your offer earlier this day"

"Oh, about your missing brother?"

"Yes. It turns out that Rose met him once before she met me, though she doesn't remember where"

The Foresight members once again looked delighted hearing that.

"That's good news! With some luck we might be able to locate him and bring you to him soon enough!"

"Is it really going to be fine with you...?"

At first, Hekkeran didn't understand what Sheep meant with her question, but soon enough he realized it. Sheep was here to look for her brother, and once she found him she would leave Foresight, probably taking Rose with her, and return to Oracle. When that happened, Foresight would return to how it had been before; a rather ordinary Worker team among others.

"Well, it will be unfortunate, I won't deny that. But can't be helped, right? It was thanks to you that we are still alive and well today, so we can't be any happier if we can return the favor. Right, everyone?"

"Right!"

"Of course!"

"Yes"

The other three members spoke their approval. Both Sheep and Rose smiled seeing that. Hekkeran then decided to inquire about Sheep's brother.

"So, tell us about your brother, Sheep"

Sheep took a deep breath before she began speaking about her brother.

"He is just a little taller than you. Black hair, facial hair similar to Roberdyck but thicker and covers below the nose too. He wears glasses, and if he still wears the same outfit, he looks like a priest or a noble at a glance. Did he, Rose?"

Sheep then looked at Rose as she asked the question.

"Y-Yes. I believe that he still wore clothes which gave that impression when I met him"

"Also, according to Rose, he was an adventurer when she met him"

Hekkeran nodded, trying to commit all the information he had heard so far into memory. The other three seemed to be doing the same. He then asked a question to Rose.

"Rose, if you remember, what color was his plate?"

Rose seemed to be thinking for a moment until she spoke.

"Purple"

Foresight members were slightly surprised by Rose's answer since the color meant that Sheep's brother was an Orichalcum Rank adventurer, but they all soon figured that it was not that strange since it was evident for them that people from Oracle, or maybe ARKS in particular, seemed to be overwhelmingly strong compared to pretty much anyone here.

"Orichalcum, huh? That makes things easier since it is the second highest rank among adventurers, so he must be quite famous already. Come to think of it, what is his name?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot somehow. Teeheehee"

Sheep rubbed the back of her head with one hand while hanging her head, the standard gesture of an embarrassed person, with a strange laugh which somewhat felt out of place for her character. She then spoke the name after a brief moment.

"Ryu Seika"

"Alright, we will get to it as soon as we can"

"Thanks, but really. Don't push yourselves"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

In his private bedroom within Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz buried his own head under his large pillow while rolling his body left and right on the grand bed. His breathing was heavy and short despite having no need to breathe. This was not caused by any kind of status ailment or such, but something much simpler.

Embarrassment.

"Embarrassing! Embarrassing! Aaaargh!"

A massive feeling of shame was all over him right now, thanks to Pandora's Actor during the meeting just recently. Even though there were clear benefits of having Pandora's Actor during meetings since his intellect could rival even Demiurge, it had been very, very difficult for Ainz to keep himself calm in front of the embodiment of his own dark, shameful past. To add salt to the wound, for some reason his innate emotion suppressor was not working on this shame feeling, so he had to live with this for who knows how long.

"Still, he has made great progress. Didn't expect him to find out the hidden properties of Elder Pain this fast"

Ainz lied down with his face straight up, staring at the roof of his bed and also the visible ceiling of his bedroom. With his ability to mimic pretty much anyone down to their skills, Pandora's Actor had limitless possibilities in his methods to do the appraisal of unknown objects. Ainz felt that he had made the right decision to assign this task to Pandora's Actor, despite the major embarrassment he had to endure during the meeting.

"If only I had put him in a more active role back then instead of just following Demiurge's decisions, there could have been much less damage inflicted on our side..."

Ainz let out a sigh while lamenting on the mess up he had made during the operation in Re-Estize Capital. Still, it was all in the past now, and he had to remember his own words that the most important thing was what he could learn from it.

"Oh yeah, I have to go..."

Ainz stood up from his bed and walked away. The time had come to begin the first phase of Demiurge's plan.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Arche sighed as she walked towards her team's home base. Almost all the money she had obtained from the undercover job had been spent away. Not on upgrading her gear, but to pay off her parents' debt and its interest. Even then it was still not enough, but thankfully still sufficient to keep the loan shark quiet for a while. However, as long as her parents still kept their extravagant lifestyle, the debt would just keep bloating with no hope of paying them off.

This was a family shame which she never let anyone on her team knew. They didn't even know yet that she had sisters, though she herself had no idea why she had told Sheep about her sisters. In any case, as long as the loan shark was kept quiet like now, he likely wouldn't chase her all the way to the home base and expose this shame of her to the team.

"Something wrong, Arche?"

Roberdyck had been with her for quite a while today because they both had been walking around collecting information about a new potential job. The pay of this job was very high, though not as high as the past undercover job. That past job was an extremely rare case to begin with, so it was fully expected.

"Ah, nothing you need to be concerned about"

"If you say so"

The two of them continued their trip without saying anything. Soon, they arrived at their home base without any trouble.

"We're back"

Arche spoke her greeting the moment she saw both Hekkeran and Imina behind the entrance.

"Welcome back"

Hekkeran replied with a slightly cheerful tone.

"Something good happened, leader?"

Roberdyck asked the question, noticing Hekkeran's slightly brighter than usual mood.

"We will talk about it over there"

Hekkeran glanced at the team's usual meeting table, where both Rose and Sheep were already seated. Understanding the message, it didn't take long until everyone were seated around their meeting table.

The group then discussed about the potential job they had. It was about investigating a recently discovered ruin, which probably would be filled with monsters. In addition, they also discussed various things like the state of the client and the possible risk of having multiple worker teams. Sheep and Rose were left out of this discussion, since the fact still remained that they were outsiders acting as helping hands. In truth, there was no need for them to be here listening to everything, but Hekkeran had decided so for two reasons. One, they had saved the lives of the entire team, so it would be a disrespect to leave them in the dark about a major job like this.

As for the other reason...

"Before I decide, there is something I need to tell you, Sheep"

"Huh? What is it?"

Hekkeran smiled and took a breath before speaking.

"After so many days, we finally got an information about your brother"

Sheep's expression turned quickly to the positive spectrum the moment she heard Hekkeran's words. The same also applied to Rose.

"Really? What did you find out?"

Sheep asked with a quite delightful tone. Hekkeran eagerly answered, being happy to pay the favor back, even though just a little.

"He is now an Adamantite Rank adventurer leading a team named Ignite Maximus located in E-Rantel, a fortress city under Re-Estize Kingdom, which is the neighboring kingdom"

"Ignite... Maximus? Heh, that's Ryu-niichan for sure"

Sheep made a little laugh as she said that, which naturally confused everyone else. Sheep noticed that and provided a quick explanation.

"Those two words carry a meaning to us, to put it short"

"I see"

Hekkeran didn't want to question further, since it was an unwritten rule among Adventurers and Workers alike to avoid questioning the past of their fellows unless necessary. In practice, it was not always followed, but everyone always tried their best to follow that principle.

There was a map on the table, which had just been used to point out the estimated location of the job. Hekkeran then put his finger on a spot which had a symbol of a city.

"This is E-Rantel, the city which your brother has been using as his base of operation. The distance is not too far from the estimated location of this job, but not near enough to reach on foot within a day. We can accompany you there after the job is finished. Although..."

Hekkeran stopped speaking. There was a moment of silence for ten seconds before he continued.

"I'll be frank, Sheep. We, Workers, take jobs knowing that we might lose our life while doing it. That is the risk we always bear in mind. There is no way to know beforehand on what kind of monsters live in the unknown ruin. The chance is not zero that the hostiles inside are much more than we can handle, even for you two. So, if you choose to part ways with us before we enter the ruin, I won't object"

Hekkeran looked at his teammates after saying those words. The others, although with a sign of hesitation, nodded as a sign of agreeing with the statement. The hesitation was natural, since the chance was also not zero that the hostiles there would be too much for the four of them but still weaker than Rose and Sheep, like Piethoms from the undercover job. In that case, this decision to let Sheep and Rose go would cost them their lives.

"Indeed, Sheep. You have someone, a family, waiting for you. We pretty much don't, so we have no burden in that regard"

Roberdyck said those words with confident tone, though a sharp person would still notice that he was merely trying to sound tough.

"But Arche, what about your sisters?"

Arche was totally caught off-guard by Sheep's question. The other members of the team looked at her with surprised look on their face.

"You have sisters?"

Arche just nodded. Although not this soon, she had been expecting that this little secret would be eventually revealed, so she didn't panic or such.

"Uhh, did I just say something I shouldn't?"

Sheep looked at Arche as she said that. Her face showed a mixture of guilt and worry.

"Ahh.. no, Sheep. I never asked you to keep it a secret after all. You're not at fault here"

Arche then looked at her mates, and she nodded once again.

"Yeah, I have little sisters. And truth to be told, I might have to leave this team soon..."

"What? Why?"

It was Rose who suddenly asked in response to Arche's statement, but Sheep quickly held her shoulder and shook her head, gesturing that this was an internal matter within Foresight team, and the two of them had no say in this. Rose, seemingly able to understand the message, silently leaned back to her seat.

The other members looked a little surprised, but nobody said anything. Arche then continued speaking.

"I don't want to go into detail, but I have some family problems and I have decided to leave my house and take my sisters with me. As for when I'm going to do that, it depends on whether we will take this job or not"

Even without speaking further, Arche believed that her mates could get the message that she would do that right away or after getting home from this job. She had determined herself that the money she had spent to cover for the debt of her parents had been the last. Any money she would earn in the future would be kept for herself and her sisters, since she had decided that her parents were not worth covering for.

"I see. It would be hard to go adventuring again if you're planning to take your sisters and raise them on your own"

Hekkeran spoke with an understanding tone. Imina and Roberdyck nodded hearing those words. Hekkeran then looked at both of them and begin speaking.

"This is a sudden topic, but since it is now confirmed that Arche is about to leave the team, and we have saved up a great sum of money from that past job... I'm thinking of dissolving the team and retire"

There was merely a dull response from the others. It was understandable since it would be hard, if not outright impossible, for the team to recover from losing valuable members. Sheep and Rose would definitely leave soon, and now Arche was added to the list. Parting ways would feel much better than finding a replacement, which most likely would never feel the same.

"Right now, we have two options. We accompany Sheep and Rose to E-Rantel and part ways from there, or... we take this job as our very last quest together beforehand"

Hekkeran smiled with a little grin as he said the last sentence. The other three of the team felt the excitement, and they all responded with the same feeling.

"There's no need to ask, is there?"

"Count me in on the latter, leader!"

"The same for me"

Hekkeran's grin widened as he heard the responses from the others. Before he made another speech, he looked at Sheep. He wanted to ask about Sheep's course of action during this job, and so he did.

"What will you two do? I'm not taking back my words. You are free to part ways with us before we enter the ruins"

Sheep didn't take long to answer with a determined face.

"Looking at your enthusiasm, I can't help feeling that I want to stick with you through this"

"M-Me too, if you don't mind"

Hekkeran smiled and nodded hearing the statement from Sheep and Rose.

"It's settled then. Let's make this job the most memorable experience we will have!"

The other three members cheered in response to Hekkeran's words, while the two temporary members just sat still on their seat, smiling as they watched the unfolding event.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

It was a silent, uneventful midnight at the Imperial Palace. Most of the staffs barring the guards on duty were peacefully sleeping on their beds. Most lights were off, leaving the guards with bare minimum illumination, which was not a problem for them since they were trained and equipped for this kind of environment. Only those with outstanding, high level stealth classes could get past them unnoticed.

Inside Emperor Jircniv's private bedroom, there were two persons lying on the bed; One man and one woman. The man was none other than Emperor Jircniv himself, and the woman was his newest concubine: Hilma Cygnaeus. They were positioned apart from each other, having just done a 'pleasure' session. They were covered in blanket from chest down, and now they were just blankly staring at the ceiling.

"You seemed to be a little troubled, Your Highness. Is there something in your mind?"

Jircniv's response to the question was dull. He believed that there was no worth sharing his personal concern to someone else if there was nothing to gain from it other than some empty emotional support. However, since right now the other person was quite clever unlike his other women, there might be something to gain. An advice which might be useful.

"Tomorrow, a plan will be set in motion. Everything necessary has been prepared without fail, but I can't help feeling that something will go wrong, terribly wrong"

This was unusual for him. Ever since the beginning of his reign, Jircniv had experienced an uncountable amount of events. He was fully aware that plans could go wrong, and contingency plans were there in preparation to possible follow-up scenarios. He had seen events where everything went according to plan, and he had also seen others where unexpected things unfold and a contingency plan had to be used. He had never been worried out of his wits, yet right now that was exactly what he was having in his mind.

"The plan to send Workers to the ruin, I suppose?"

Jircniv was mildly surprised. He had never told Hilma about this plan. It was not intended to be a top secret matter to begin with, but the fact that she knew meant that she really got some skill in obtaining information about internal affairs. Jircniv couldn't help getting impressed, even though just a little.

"Quite impressive that you know. Care to explain how did you get the info?"

"Sorry, Your Highness. It is my trade secret"

Hilma answered in a slightly smug tone. Jircniv couldn't help feeling a little excited since this was the first time a woman denied him answer, and it was quite a refreshing feeling.

"Heh, figures"

"So, is this... Ainz Ooal Gown person... really interesting?"

Jircniv didn't want to ask how Hilma had got her hands that far into the detail. He now felt that he might as well tell everything since she would somehow find everything out anyway.

But he wouldn't.

"You can tell, can't you?"

"Fufufu, indeed. But despite your worries, Your Highness won't just cancel it, right?"

"That should be obvious already"

"Then there is no use worrying over it"

What Hilma had just said was right. If he was already determined on not cancelling the plan to probe the residence of Ainz Ooal Gown, he should brew multiple follow-up plans in anticipation of the possible outcomes instead of just worrying like he was now. Jircniv was already aware of that from the beginning, but Hilma's words were the trigger he subconsciously needed to confirm it.

"Heh, thanks for the advice"

"I'm flattered, Your Highness. But you have already known this from the beginning, right?"

"Of course. My title as The Emperor isn't just for show"

The two of them let out a little laugh, and then they went to slumber. For Jircniv, it felt like a rare moment where he could sleep with his mind at peace for once.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **As you may have noticed, since the responses for my question in the last chapter were in favor of 2 week intervals between chapters, that will be the way I release chapters. New chapters will be posted on Friday night at my time zone.**

 **See you again later.**


	52. Chapter 46: Ill-Advised Actions

**Hi again, all.**

 **Nothing to say today. See you in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Hekkeran's group was a little late to arrive at the courtyard of Count Femel, their client of this job. To be exact, they were still in time for the specified gathering time but his team was the last to arrive. As the result, they had to endure the most amount of gazes from those who had been already there. It was a little unsettling, especially since there were still not many other Workers who knew that his team had two extra members, so it was natural that every people there stared quite intensely to both Sheep and Rose in particular. Their outfits being quite unusual for the standards didn't help either.

"As expected, everybody is staring at us"

There was still a good distance between the team and the other Workers, so Hekkeran's words should not have been heard by anyone outside the team.

"Well yeah, especially to these two"

Imina spoke her mind and looked at both Rose and Sheep before continuing.

"Hide behind Rober if you can't stand it"

Sheep shook her head hearing Imina's offer.

"I'm already used to this"

On the other hand, Rose took the offer and moved herself behind Roberdyck, who just smiled with determination.

"Don't worry, Rose. Nobody will lay a hand on you. Not in my watch"

Roberdyck's reassurance seemed to work to calm Rose down. Hekkeran had no idea whether her behaviour was genuine or she acted like that on purpose to make the other Workers underestimate her, but in either case the team would be a little looked down upon as the result. Logically, why would a Worker team bring along such a shy little girl in this important job?

Hekkeran didn't care much, though. This job would be the team's last job before retirement, so their reputation no longer mattered as long as they didn't end up doing something which was considered a severe crime.

"I'm going to greet the leaders over there"

Hekkeran said that while looking at the group of three people. Imina immediately noticed one man among the three and reacted.

"Urgh, that guy is here too? Seriously? That son of a bi-"

Imina cut her muttering short and glanced at Rose, who was still hiding behind Roberdyck. Hekkeran could understand Imina's disgust, but he believed that a proper attitude still must be kept during a joint operation like this to maintain cooperation.

"I understand your feelings, but don't speak your thoughts out loud, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah"

Imina made an annoyed face as she replied to Hekkeran's words. Hekkeran then walked over to the three men while the rest of his team waited at a spot distanced from other teams. The first one to greet him as he approached was Gringham, the leader of Heavy Masher Team.

"As I expected, thou cam'st too, Hekkeran."

"Yes, Gringham. The terms weren't bad and there's also another, private reason"

"I see. Putting that aside... thou really had more members as the rumors say"

"Temporary members. Both of them will part ways after this"

Hekkeran had fully expected that some rumors had spread about Rose and Sheep, since there was no way he could keep their existence a secret for long. Though at this point it no longer mattered for him and also the rest of his team.

"Hoo, pity. I heard they are very strong despite their looks"

" **Ha! I'm definitely still better than them both"**

Another man, one of the two men Hekkeran had not greeted yet, suddenly cut in with an overwhelmingly confident tone. Hekkeran believed otherwise, but sparking a conflict at this moment would never be a good idea, so he just offered a handshake with a smile.

"I have heard stories about you, Erya Uzruth of Tenmu"

The man, Erya, smirked and took the offer.

"The same to you, Hekkeran of Foresight"

"I look forward to you displaying your great swordmanship in the ruins"

"Heh, leave that to me. I hope whatever resides in the ruins will be strong enough to provide me decent challenge!"

Erya proudly laughed as he was boasting. Hekkeran could easily guess that he would have to endure this kind of thing a little longer.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"You have a grudge with that guy, Imina?"

Sheep asked with a calm tone, though her face expressed a certain level of disgust as she glanced towards Erya. It was easy to put two-and-two together just by seeing the three women in rags whom Erya was approaching as he left Hekkeran and the two other men.

Imina just took a deep breath after looking at her comrades one by one. Rose was the last to receive Imina's glance.

"We better move a little, get that jerk off our sight"

Despite what Imina had said, the courtyard was not large enough to get any other Workers out of sight. Unless they leave the courtyard, Erya would be still within sight. Realizing this, Imina sighed.

"I guess our only choice is to wait and hope that jerk won't do anything that will trigger me"

The group then continued waiting idly for Hekkeran to come back, hoping that nothing would happen as Imina had wished. However, that wish soon just went down the drain.

 **SMACK!**

"Eek-"

A sudden loud sound of flesh striking flesh was heard, followed by a held back scream of pain from a woman. The group, and seemingly everyone else in the courtyard as well, looked at the source of the sound and realized what had just happened. It was apparent that Erya had just punched one of his slaves for some reason.

Seeing the scene, Imina's face went blank. A feeling of rage quickly built up inside her mind. Having shared part of the same ancestry with the poor women, she had a strong urge to do something, anything to help them. But she knew that there was nothing she could do that wouldn't compromise the team. She had no choice other than turn her back and pretend she had not seen it.

 **SCHWING!**

 **WHOOSH!**

Suddenly, a flash of light passed near her straight to Erya's head. Within an instant, the light passed in front of Erya's face, narrowly missing him, and struck the dirt ground a stone's throw distance from Erya.

Imina knew very well what the light was, and who could have done that. She looked at Sheep with grim expression, and she saw Sheep holding her demonic bow up with a blank expression on her face.

"Oops, my hand slipped"

Erya's body froze, his head looking alternatively between Sheep and the hole created by her shot. It took his head about five round-trips until Erya finally did something different.

"W-WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!? YOU WANT TO KILL ME!?"

Erya angrily screamed as he made quick steps towards Imina's group. For a moment, Imina could notice the three elven slaves laughing a little as Erya left them behind.

Sheep's expression remained blank as she lowered her bow. Roberdyck quickly put Rose and Arche behind him in anticipation of the hell that would break loose soon. Imina stood next to Sheep, ready to defend her if needed.

As Erya, who was very clearly angry, came close to the group, Sheep just spoke with a flat tone.

"I was merely practicing my shots, but the sudden noise startled my aim"

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME! YOU CLEARLY SHOT ME!"

"Oh, I wish I have after seeing you did that. But I didn't, right?"

Sheep said those words while smirking, an expression which would agitate pretty much most people. Erya was unfortunately not an exception.

"THE F-"

Without continuing his words, Erya brandished his sword and slashed at Sheep.

 **CLANK!**

Erya couldn't hide his surprise about what had just happened, and the same applied to everyone else in the group. Erya's strike had just been blocked by Rose using one of the short swords the team had bought for her quite a while ago. Seeing the aura around her, everyone in the team could guess that Rose had used the Martial Art [Impenetrable Fortress] to block the strike.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

"I won't let you harm my friend"

Rose's answer was spoken in a calm and determined tone. The others in the group felt quite surprised and confused since it didn't sound like Rose, as if she had become a different person.

Before Erya could continue his aggression, suddenly someone shouted from a distance with a thundering voice.

" **Erya Uzruth! Stop right there!"**

Everybody, Erya included, looked at the one shouting. It was a short man covered in full plate armor whom everyone knew as Gringham, the leader of Heavy Masher Team. After shouting, Gringham quickly approached the group, with Hekkeran following right behind him.

"I have just been appointed as the overall leader, and I won't allow violence within the group as a whole"

Erya looked highly displeased upon hearing Gringham's words, but he sheathed his sword nevertheless. He then immediately pointed his finger to Sheep.

"Heh, tell that to her. She started it"

"How?"

"Didn't you see!? She shot me with her bow!"

"I don't see her having a bow"

"Are you blind!? It's right the-"

Erya startled, cutting his speech short upon looking back at Sheep. Her large bow was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's your bow!?"

Erya asked furiously, but Sheep's face remained straight and blank like before as she answered.

"I wonder..."

"DON'T MESS WITH ME-"

Erya, clearly enraged, approached Sheep. However, Hekkeran put himself between them, obstructing Erya.

"Hey there, we are in a very lucrative job now. You don't want to commit violence right in front of everyone here, right? It would be a pity if you do, and then everyone agrees to kick you out for being a liability and threat to the others"

Erya stopped his steps and looked as if he was about to explode from within. But then he let out a large, angry sigh and turned around.

"Tch! Fine! But I will remember this!"

Erya then walked away from the group. It took a few more seconds of silence until everyone there, except Sheep and Rose, let out a sigh of relief.

"Whew, glad he bought it"

Pretty much everyone in the team understood Hekkeran's relief. In actuality, even with every other team's agreement, Erya's team couldn't be kicked out since the authority only belonged to the client. However, even in the case he knew about the fact, he should have known that being considered a threat by all other teams would put him in a dangerous situation. After all, accidents could happen in the middle of the job.

"I suppose this matter is over then. I shall go back to my team"

"Thanks for your help, Gringham"

"None of the other teams like that guy to begin with anyway"

Gringham turned around as he said that, but before he began walking away he spoke again.

"Still, I must say that thou must be careful from now on"

Gringham then walked away without waiting for any reply. At this moment, Rose sheathed her sword and looked at Sheep.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but you really didn't have to do that. That scum wouldn't have hurt me anyway"

"That is exactly why I blocked the attack with a Martial Art"

Sheep was slightly startled hearing Rose's reply. She then seemed to be thinking for a moment and soon realized that what she had done could have caused a grave consequence. The Foresight member already knew that Sheep was overwhelmingly strong and wouldn't have taken any damage from Erya's attack, but she would have drawn suspicion from other Workers and risk blowing her cover since an enchantment with that level of protection was completely unheard of.

"Those adventurers branded me demon just because I didn't get wounded after one of them kicked me in the face. What would the others around here think if they saw you unharmed after taking a sword slash?"

Rose, coming from the same country as Sheep, would have taken no damage as well, but she used a Martial Art to picture herself as a young prodigy in close combat, which was outstanding but still within reason for the people around. Everyone in the team couldn't help getting impressed by her quick thinking which had saved them from a lot of complications.

There was another big question in the mind of Foresight Team: How had Rose changed from a shy, traumatized but recovering girl into a seemingly calm, confident, and quick-witted girl within a matter of minutes? Has she been faking her trauma, or perhaps the recent conflict was the one final push she had needed to break out of the trauma? There was a saying that a greenhorn was just one hard battle away from becoming a veteran, so maybe something similar had applied to her?

"Sheep... May I speak?"

Imina asked with hesitation, considering the conflict which had just happened.

"Speak away"

"I thank you for doing what I actually wished to do, that's a fact. Though unfortunately, like it or not, there are consequences we must bear now"

"Yeah, I know. It is clear from what that scum said"

Hekkeran then spoke to follow up with Imina.

"While I agree with Imina, I think our situation isn't that bad"

"Hmm? Care to explain, leader?"

Roberdyck didn't seem to fully understand Hekkeran's words, so Hekkeran began explaining.

"Erya is now holding a grudge against us, but what is he going to possibly do? If he does anything harmful to any of us during this job, the others will know and it will hurt his reputation. Well, maybe he could assassinate us inside the ruins and tell the others that some monsters did it, but with what just happened the others will still suspect him"

"As if the scum can do that anyway"

"Don't take him lightly, Sheep. He is probably much weaker than you or Rose, but he is more than just a match to any of us. One on one, he could beat any of us easily"

"Yeah, it's a pity such strength didn't come with character"

Arche added her opinion after Hekkeran, and the rest of the team nodded as a sign of agreeing.

"Anyway, all we have to do now is to keep our guards up especially in the ruins later. Despite what I said, he might actually try something strange there. If he does, well..."

Hekkeran made a little devious smile as he said the last part. The others noticed it and immediately understood that in that case, they could openly retaliate as self defense. With both Sheep and Rose present, defeating Erya would be just a walk in the park.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

The ocean beyond the port city of Re-Lobell was relatively calm today. There were no storm clouds within sight, and the wind was merely a breeze. The creatures living there were doing what their nature dictated without any out-of-the-ordinary interference. In short, it was just a normal day.

Leaving the port of Re-Lobell was a group of military ships consisting of three medium-sized ships sailing in side-by-side formation followed by one large ship behind acting as the command ship. This was the first time this amount of naval force were mobilized after a very long time. In fact, the Admiral of the navy base didn't bother to wait for instructions or permissions from the central government to mobilize such force, which was a sign that a very serious and urgent matter was ongoing.

It had been the day before today when the scouts came bringing bad news. A number of merchant ships had been sunk by an unknown cause and there were no survivors. All that could be seen was a bunch of shipwreck pieces and floating dead bodies. Based on how the ships had been essentially shredded into pieces, a conclusion could be made that this had been the work of a large monster. Linking the event with the news about the Sea Dragon recently acting violent, pretty much anyone would say that the culprit was the Sea Dragon. Moreover, if the incidents were mapped and dated the locations gradually became closer to the city, signifying that the Sea Dragon was slowly advancing towards the city.

The Sea Dragon had been regarded as a benevolent deity who would protect respecting seafarers from harm, and it had been acting so before the recent events. Nobody could know how and why the Sea Dragon suddenly became violent to the point of outright sinking ships. This was a grave matter for everyone because the strength of the Sea Dragon was unfathomable, and it was very likely that the ships had sailed into a suicide mission.

The Admiral, looking out the window of his office, felt a great deal of guilt seeing those ships sailing away. He had given the orders to sortie, knowing that his men would be against a creature beyond their capabilities. However, it was a decision he had to make. While the battle would be ongoing out there, the remaining men on the land would commence an operation to evacuate the civilians away from the waters. The men he had sent to their deaths would serve to delay the Sea Dragon from reaching the city, even if for just a minute.

All hope was not lost, though.

It just so happened that the adventurers of the city had been assembled to investigate matters with the previous rumor of the Sea Dragon becoming randomly violent. Their mission had been changed to become helping hands in the evacuation operation, which should make the operation faster and smoother.

In addition, an Adamantite Rank team had volunteered to board the command ship and help in fighting the Sea Dragon. It was a rather new team which the Admiral had just heard about recently, unlike Blue Rose or Red Drop. However, Adamantite Rank adventurers were the pinnacle of humanity, the strongest defense against powerful monsters out there. This team was no exception to that, so he had entrusted the task of delaying the Sea Dragon to the team.

"Godspeed, Ignite Maximus... You are our beacon of hope"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"BLERGHH!"

"Hang in there, Lily"

"Liz, are you really sure there's no spell for this?"

"Even if there is, I haven't learned one"

Ryu was anxiously holding Lily still, massaging the nape of her neck as she puked out what she had eaten before into the ocean below. The soldiers nearby looked at her, not knowing if they should feel pity or something else.

"I... think I'm fine now..."

Ryu then slowly put Lily into a sitting position on the deck floor of the ship. She then immediately slouched, leaning to a nearby sack of supplies which happened to be just next to her.

"But... really... what is happening? My head feels spinning..."

Alice crouched near Lily, whose breath was quite heavy.

"Lily, you're having what is commonly said as seasickness"

"You mean... ugh... it's because I'm... on a ship?"

"Pretty much, yes"

Ryu had no idea what to do. He knew about seasickness but he had never had any, so he had never learned about how to overcome one. It would be bad if Lily was not on her prime condition during the battle later, but it was also bad for the team now since they were supposed to be revered Adamantite Rank adventurers. This rather unsightly scene would be a dent to their image which Ryu actually didn't really care, but it would also lower the morale of the soldiers around them, seeing their supposed guardian being powerless against a common sickness.

"Pardon me, adventurers. May I try helping?"

One of the soldiers, seemingly a veteran, judging from him looking older than others, approached Ryu and asked the question.

"Sure, she kinda needs all the help she can get"

The soldier then took something from his pocket. It was a small leather bundle wrapping something inside. He opened the bundle and took a slice of something which looked like dried smoked meat. He then gave it to Lily.

"Chew it but don't swallow it yet"

Lily took the slice and put it into her mouth. She then chewed it without swallowing it as instructed.

"Alright, now pardon me..."

The soldier then helped Lily to adjust her sitting position. She ended up with her legs stretched straight and her back straight up leaning against the deck wall, making her body sit in 'L' posture overall.

"Make body contact with the ship as much as possible, trust the ship to carry you along"

Lily just nodded, unable to speak with her mouth full. The soldier then put the leather bundle on her lap.

"You puked out your lunch, right? Eat these slowly like you're doing now. The act of chewing constantly will slowly relieve you from the sickness"

Lily then swallowed the meat and spoke with a rather weak voice.

"...Thank you..."

The soldier smiled hearing Lily's gratitude and stood up. Ryu immediately felt that he had to speak his gratitude as well.

"Thank you for your help, sir"

"No problem. We will be counting on you to protect us later, so I'm all in for returning the favor in advance"

The soldier made a happy grin and left the place. Ryu hoped Lily would be better once the fleet arrived at the imminent battle.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"I see… so this is what you have all decided, then? I understand. Please forgive me for asking such a worthless question."

The man in full plate dark armor, Momon, apologized after getting the answer for his question. Basically, his question was about the reason why the Workers were willing to risk their lives taking this job, and the answers given by several people had been all about the reward money being worth all the risks involved.

However, for Hekkeran, the reason was different although not completely. The reward was part the reason, but for this occasion his team's main reason was different. He quickly decided to speak out about it since other teams would eventually know anyway.

"Pardon me, but I would like to speak on behalf of my team"

Momon glanced at Hekkeran and then he nodded to show his approval.

"Indeed the large amount of reward money from this job is nice, there's no denying that. But for this occasion, my team has a different reason for taking this job"

Hekkeran then stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"The truth is, my team, Foresight, is going to dissolve soon"

Hekkeran's line drew a few light gasps from the other Workers. While not the strongest, Foresight was quite well-known among many teams of Workers. All the members were relatively young and they had never shown any signs of internal conflict, so suddenly announcing dissolution would naturally surprise some people.

"The reason was personal, but we all have decided to part ways and retire while discussing about taking this job. And so we decided to take this job as the one final adventure we will be having together before parting ways, and we are determined to make this a memorable one to someday reminisce in our retired life. Therefore..."

Hekkeran turned to face the other workers and bowed.

"Thank you for all the rivalry we have been having! We have had our ups and downs, but we enjoyed the ride. So once again, thank you!"

There was a silence for a few seconds, and then suddenly the crowd gave an applause. Gringham approached Hekkeran and gave him a pat on the back, which looked a little strange since Hekkeran was a lot taller than Gringham.

"Nice speech thou got there, lad! Tell thou what, thou may take some of my finds later as a parting gift"

Gringham laughed as he said that. Meanwhile, Parpatra of Dragon Hunt Team also approached him and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"You haven't gone wrinkled like me, why retire now?"

Parpatra's words were spoken in a friendly manner, and it was apparent from his cheerful expression. Without waiting for an answer, he spoke again.

"Hey, if you someday got into trouble, find me. I'll give you a special discount!"

"I guess you will die of old age long before I get into a big enough trouble"

Parpatra just laughed heartily hearing Hekkeran's reply. Hekkeran then remembered something and turned to face Momon.

"I apologize for the sudden commotion, Momon-dono. But now you have heard my team's main reason for doing this"

Momon just stood there without saying any words. Still without saying anything, he turned around facing away from all the Workers. Seeing this, Hekkeran couldn't help worrying that he had made a mistake.

 _Did I offend him somewhere?_

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ainz's mind was, in short, a mess.

 _I wanna cry! But I can't cry in front of them!_

The speech he had just heard from the one Worker had struck a chord with him, pretty much a critical hit in fact. When the Worker had spoken about having one final adventure before retiring, Ainz was reminded about one occasion when a guild member announced his retirement.

 _What was his name again... Ah, Nearata._

It just so happened that a new limited time dungeon had been open as part of an event back then, so everyone had agreed to conquer the dungeon together with him as the final adventure for him. The event dungeon had been a lot harder than expected, compounded with the fact that the team had gone there without collecting enough information first. However, the adventure there had been epic and memorable. As if the dungeon had been made for him, Nearata had been pretty much the MVP of that run. Ainz still could remember how happy Nearata sounded as he said his final goodbye, and how some members almost cried back then.

Seeing the other Workers supporting this Worker's decision reminded Ainz of the old days of the guild, and he couldn't help feeling moved by the scene. Right now, Ainz held himself from speaking because he would sound like he was about to cry, and it would be a disgrace for his public image as Momon. For some reason, his emotion suppressor didn't trigger and Ainz had no idea why. Was it because the emotion was still not great enough?

 _Please work, dammit!_

However, before Ainz could get the suppressor working, suddenly he heard someone speaking mockingly.

"Ha! Pathetic! Even the Adamantite Rank knows that!"

 _What?_

"Every Worker knows that every job is for the money! If such lame reason like memory is your goal, why don't just become an adventurer like these puny Gold Rank guys?"

"Young lad Erya. They are going to retire soon, why don't you be a decent man for once and give them a proper sendoff?"

"Ha! I say good riddance!"

Ainz turned around to see who had been speaking in such mocking tone, and quickly noticed the smug guy in black and white armor set. Ainz could feel a great amount of rage building up inside after hearing such person wrongly putting words in his mouth and also stomping on what had been pretty much an image of his past memories.

 _You're so on my shitlist, asshole! Uhh..._

His emotion suppressor finally kicked in, reverting himself to a calm state of mind. He once again took a look at the one who had been speaking mockingly.

"Erya, isn't it? I respect each and every person to have their opinion, but I recommend you to refrain from putting words in my mouth. I have never said whether I agree or disagree for having a memorable experience as their goal"

"Hmph, alright. My apologies for that. But would you tell us your actual opinion?"

Erya, still standing with his arms folded, replied. His tone was normal this time.

"I'm afraid that as an Adamantite Rank, my answer might carry too much of a weight, which will affect your performance and cooperation in the job. Therefore, I shall reserve my answer until your expedition is finished"

"Heh, fair enough"

Erya shrugged and turned away. Despite having been calmed down by his suppressor, Ainz still put Erya in his personal list of hated persons since the fact still remained that Erya had stomped mockingly on his memories.

"Alright, now that the matter is over with, are there any more que-UHBMPF!"

"W-What happened, Momon-dono? Did you see something wrong?"

One concerned Worker asked the question in response of Ainz suddenly cutting his speech with a gibberish shocked reaction.

"Cough! Cough! Ehm!"

Ainz tried playing cough and clearing his throat. Right now, he was in panic mode because of what he had just seen, but he couldn't tell anyone else about this since his Momon figure was not supposed to know about this.

"I apologize for the distraction. I accidentally choked on my own spit"

That reason was silly and would lower the image of Momon, but Ainz couldn't think of any better reason. Right now, his mind was fully occupied with something else.

 _Why is Mel Rose among the Workers!?_

Ainz had never expected Mel Rose, the other ARKS member on this planet, to be among the supposedly expendable Workers whom would be subjected to the defense system of Nazarick. If the plan continued as is, she would be definitely spared, but she also would find out about a lot of things which would bring his standing to rock bottom in her eyes, and likely in the eyes of ARKS as well eventually.

 _Even though my standing is high in Ryu's eyes, Mel Rose is stronger than Ryu, so the higher ups in ARKS will likely listen to her more than Ryu._

Ainz believed that he must not screw things up. Darkers and Dark Falz were legitimate threats, and being allied with the organization specialized in exterminating them would be crucial in the survival of Nazarick. Getting branded as an enemy by the organization would be a major hindrance.

 _I'm just trying to prepare my defenses against intruders, and this shit happens! At least my voice is now different thanks to the Lip Bug. Otherwise she would recognize my voice._

"Sorry, but I need to go now. Make your necessary preparations before we all go to the job site"

Without waiting for any response, Ainz walked away from the Workers and entered the carriage he had been in. His mind was once again a mess. He was fully aware that he had to think of something as fast as possible, but right now he had no idea what to do.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **As Ainz had expected, things have not gone according to plan again. How he will follow up to the situation is anybody's guess.**

 **See you next time.**


	53. Chapter 47: Some Necessary Casualties

**Hello, another two weeks have passed, so it is time for another chapter.**

 **See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

The trip to the job location had been smooth. There were no disruption either from outside or inside. The members of Foresight had been keeping an eye on Erya just in case, but he had never done anything weird during the trip. Although, the sight of his unpleasant attitude towards his slaves had been quite appalling.

Momon, the dark warrior of Darkness, had been seen chatting with several people during the trip. His attitude had been overall friendly, though he somehow seemed to avoid the Workers. To be exact, it was quite apparent that he had been specifically avoiding Foresight.

Right now, the Foresight Team, Sheep and Rose included, were standing on a high ground which could overlook the destination of their current job. The four original members had been discussing several things about the job while Sheep and Rose had been just listening behind.

"By the way, did you guys notice? About Momon"

Hekkeran asked the others. He also looked at Sheep and Rose, telling that this matter involved both of them too. Arche was the first to answer.

"Yeah. Quite subtle, but Momon had been avoiding us"

"Hey, leader. Do you think it is because of back then?"

"You mean when I spoke about our reason for taking this job, Rober?"

"Yeah. Maybe he actually agreed with Erya, but didn't say it outright as courtesy"

"Possible, but in the end we can only speculate"

Hekkeran shrugged as he said it. Even if Roberdyck's guess was true, nothing would change about the job. They would explore the ruins as specified in the job description and return with results. Momon's opinion on them wouldn't matter.

"Actually, I have a different guess on that"

Rose suddenly spoke out. Her tone was straight, as it had ever been since the moment she had blocked Erya's attack. It really felt as if Rose had become a different person altogether, since there was no sign of the shy personality anymore.

"Oh, care to share your thoughts, Rose?"

"Momon has been avoiding the two of us. Isn't that right, Sheep?"

Rose looked at Sheep as she said it. Sheep nodded without changing her face expression.

"Yeah, sometimes the two of us walk around on our own during breaks. Momon always showed some kind of reaction whenever he saw us and immediately walked away. That didn't always happen to you all, right?"

The four Foresight members got into thinking after hearing Sheep's remark. Arche was then the first one to spoke in response.

"Come to think of it, you're right. But why?"

"Don't tell me-"

Imina cut her words short. Her face looked worried. She immediately continued after taking a quick breath.

"-Momon was in the Empire because he was in the hunt for you?"

Arche and Roberdyck were surprised hearing Imina's words. Hekkeran, while trying to stay calm and collected, then spoke in response.

"It is actually likely. For what reason an Adamantite Rank from the Kingdom was all the way in the heart of Baharuth Empire? The news about the Adamantite Rank job must have reached the Kingdom and he was late to notice the job closing"

Both Sheep and Rose had already known for a while that a bounty had been placed on their head in the form of an Adamantite Rank job for adventurers. However, Hekkeran also had heard the news that the particular job had been recently closed, noting that Sheep was not a demon and not dangerous. Just now, Hekkeran began to regret his mistake of not taking the details of the news. He had been so delighted hearing that Sheep was no longer hunted by officials, he just had gone home immediately to tell her and Rose. He had forgotten that news often spread late, and some people might take longer to be aware of it.

"His partner is a magic caster. She might have seen through the illusion spells and now he is keeping an eye to his target, that is you, Sheep. He probably took this job for convenient transport home and to keep you in his sight. Two birds with one stone"

"I think we should explain to him before he does something fatal"

Arche spoke her suggestion, but Hekkeran immediately responded.

"The thing is, how? It is my mistake that I didn't get the details of why the bounty on Sheep was closed. Remember that he is an Adamantite Rank adventurer and in his eyes we are, to put it bluntly, illegal adventurers doing an illegal job. We can't expect him to believe us right off the bat"

"Heh, yeah, that's understandable. Nobody would reach the highest adventurer rank without being skeptical to possibilities. Still, what should we do on this matter?"

Imina spoke her opinion, agreeing with Hekkeran and asking a question. Everyone then went into thinking for a moment.

"I say we feign ignorance and act as usual while keeping watch on our backs. I think Momon has not done anything against us because he is still not sure. I mean, isn't Sheep essentially a demihuman from a faraway country who puts on a disguise for her own safety? Momon is likely to consider that a possibility and is now trying to obtain a definite proof whether Sheep is really a dangerous demon or not"

"If you ask me, you sound like you're grasping at straws"

Sheep said it with a rather snark expression, but she then let out a sigh and continued.

"But I guess that is the best possible course of action for us"

"Don't worry, Sheep. I will protect you"

Rose spoke with a confident face while putting her hand on Sheep's shoulder. Sheep smiled in response.

"I will be in your care, guardian"

"Eh? What?"

"If you'll be guarding me, I might as well call you my guardian"

Sheep let out a little laugh saying that. The members of Foresight felt a little delighted seeing the interaction of the two girls from Oracle.

However, Rose suddenly staggered with her hands on her head.

"What happened, Rose? Did you feel unwell?"

Roberdyck quickly approached Rose and held her, in case she would fall down.

"Ah, N-Nothing. Maybe I was just a little too excited"

"We still have some free time. Why don't you get some rest?"

"Yeah, I guess"

Everyone then went back to the spot where their tent was located. The big job would start tonight, and they needed to prepare themselves as much as possible, both physically and mentally.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Rose couldn't shake the strange feeling she had in her head just recently. It felt as if some vague, unclear information was running all over her mind.

" _Meru, you there inside?"_

" _Yes, Rose"_

" _Did you feel what I felt?"_

" _Y-Yes. For a moment everything went... weird in here"_

" _Weird? What kind of weird?"_

" _I-I don't know. I can't explain it..."_

Without any satisfying answer from Meru, Rose couldn't make any conclusion about what had just happened to her. Could that had been some kind of weird spell again? She was now wondering if she should try activating that Martial Art which gave magic resistance, but she felt nothing weird right now. Activating it would be pointless.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Night has fallen.

All the teams of workers had gone to the ruins, which was the objective of their job. They all had made their preparations beforehand, not knowing what things they would face inside the place.

"What do you think, Momon-san?"

"Casualties are inevitable..."

Ainz muttered in low voice, but it was still clear enough for the leader of the Gold Rank adventurer team to hear the entirety of his words.

 _Oh crap, I just said it without thinking..._

"I mean, we should be prepared for such an outcome, or maybe even the worst case scenario of a total wipeout. After all, they are doing an expedition on a previously undiscovered place. Nobody knows what kind of danger awaits inside"

"I see. Thank you for your concern"

"I will go back to my tent for now"

Ainz walked back to his tent, which naturally was shared with Narberal and had been set up far away from any other tents. As the result, rumors had started to spread among the adventurers and workers alike, saying that Momon and Nabe were using the tent as some kind of love nest. Ainz didn't outright deny it since the rumors would serve to prevent any of them to pay unnecessary attention towards the place. The price of losing a bit of reputation was still worth it.

After both Ainz and Narberal entered the tent, Ainz checked the surroundings to make sure nobody was watching. Thankfully, the false rumor seemed to be effective.

"Good grief. Now I have to quickly go back into Nazarick and deal with the sudden change of plans. Narberal, I'm going to leave things here to you"

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

Ainz then shed his Momon disguise, fully returning to his own Overlord appearance. Thanks to the sudden turn of events, he had contacted Nazarick periodically, asking Albedo to change the plans. He had not wanted to prolong the contacts and risk leaking anything to outsiders, so he had not allowed Albedo to ask any questions. Therefore, he fully expected Albedo to rain him with questions when he arrived.

[Greater Teleportation]

Ainz immediately arrived at the chamber before the throne room, where he was immediately greeted by nobody else but Albedo.

"Welcome home, Ainz-sama"

"I'm back, Albedo"

Ainz looked around, seeing if there were any of the stealth sentries in the room. Indeed there were several, a standard setup for his security.

"Sentries, you are dismissed for the moment. Now leave this place"

It only took a few seconds for the sentries to disperse and leave, leaving only Ainz and Albedo in the chamber.

"So, Albedo. The intruders should have already arrived by now. Have the welcome preparations been made, with all the changes?"

"I have made sure that everything is flawless even after the change, Ainz... Momonga-sama"

Albedo made a very warm smile as she said her words, especially the last part. Ainz at first had felt a little conflicted with allowing Albedo to address him with his old name whenever there were only the two of them, but seeing her being happy like that made him sure that he had made the right decision.

"Great. I look forward to the results"

Both of them then moved into the throne room. While walking the long hallway, Ainz wondered why Albedo had not questioned him for the sudden change. It was good for him that he did not have to deal with a barrage of questions, but he couldn't help being curious about it if it didn't happen at all.

 _Should I inquire about it? It is merely my own curiosity, so it is unnecessary, but what if she actually has questions but doesn't dare to ask? That would be insensitive of me if I just let it pass._

In his conflicted mind, Ainz in the end decided to ask.

"Albedo..."

"Yes, Momonga-sama?"

"Don't you have questions in your mind?"

"P-Please pardon my ignorance, Momonga-sama. I seem to be unable to grasp your meaning"

"We had a plan to deal with the situation at hand, which came into play because of a preceding plan courtesy of Demiurge. However, I just suddenly asked you to change this plan without allowing you to ask-"

Ainz cut his own explanation short. He had just realized the error of his.

 _Oh that's it! She isn't asking me any question because I myself had not allowed it!_

"M-Momonga-sama? Is there something wrong?"

Ainz then quickly answered Albedo's confusion.

"Albedo. I did not allow you to ask questions because back then I was still masquerading as Momon in the middle of those humans. Now that I am here, you may ask any questions you have regarding the sudden change of plan"

The two of them arrived right at the throne as Ainz said the word. Ainz immediately sat down on the throne while Albedo stood next to him.

"I have no questions, Momonga-sama. I believe all the changes you have made are for the greater good of Nazarick"

 _Ah shit, here we go again_.

"Albedo, everybody in Nazarick has been told by myself that my mind is as flawed as any human out there, and you are no exception. The changes I have asked you to make are very likely to be flawed in your eyes, since everything was quickly brewed in response to a sudden unexpected turn of events. Are you sure that you have no questions?"

Albedo was wordless for a little less than ten seconds, but after that she spoke.

"Then, would Momonga-sama tell me, the reason behind the changes? I deeply apologize if this offends you in any chance, but it is outside the boundaries of my imagination that Momonga-sama would be so... merciful towards the filthy intruders stepping into Nazarick"

As Albedo said her words, a bunch of monitors viewing the groups of workers appeared in front of Ainz. Ainz paid no heed to the monitors yet, since his focus was to answer Albedo's question.

 _I expected that question the most._

"Yes, under normal circumstances, none of the intruders would be allowed to come back alive after stepping into Nazarick. That was the original plan. However, the circumstances are far from normal. Take a look at this group"

Ainz pointed at one of the monitors. This particular monitor was displaying the group which had Mel Rose among them. Albedo took a quick look at the monitor and immediately noticed.

"Oh, the girl from back then, coming from the same place as Ryu"

"Indeed. I have no idea how and why she is among the intruders, but it is my best interest to make her my ally in hopes of making things easier to ally with ARKS Organization once they arrive. If I stick with the original plan while sparing her, she won't take it well and complicate matters. One thing to keep in mind is that ARKS has awarded her with equipment of higher grade than Ryu, so it is quite likely that in ARKS she is a bigger shot than Ryu despite her appearance"

"I see. What a magnificent insight, Momonga-sama"

Ainz wasn't that pleased with Albedo's praise, since it was likely the way NPCs always thought of him as some kind of god despite his confession. He continued speaking anyway, paying no more heed to the praise.

"But there's something more in this group which caught my interest. You notice it, Albedo?"

"The girl next to her, isn't it?"

"Correct. She is concealing them with some low tier illusion magic, but it can be seen easily that she actually has horns and her left eye is unnaturally red"

"Perhaps some kind of demon in disguise, Momonga-sama?"

"I don't know, but I will find out. Are there any more questions, Albedo?"

"Nothing, Momonga-sama. Your answer to my previous question has assured me that you have made the decision for the greatest benefit of Nazarick"

 _This again..._

Ainz just sighed, deciding to stop caring about the matter for the time being.

"Alright, let us watch how things are going to unfold"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Momon, or to be exact; Pandora's Actor disguising as Momon, sat idly in one side of the tent while Narberal also did the same at the other inner side of the tent. He had been ordered by Ainz to take his place as Momon the adventurer while Ainz himself remained within Nazarick to monitor the intruders. There was nothing special he had to do. He only had to take turns guarding the camp site with the adventurers. Therefore he just waited until his turn came.

After a long moment of silence, suddenly Momon heard a commotion outside. He could easily guess what was happening since he had all the information about the renewed plan, but he was supposed to be an adventurer who still didn't know anything. Therefore he stepped outside and approached the source of the commotion.

"What is happening here?"

"Oh, Momon-san. One of the teams just returned. But..."

Without letting the adventurer speak any further, Momon stepped further forward to see the returning team. From the information he had received, he could immediately recognize that the returning team was Dragon Hunt, a five-men team led by an old man in green armor; 'Green Leaf' Parpatra. However, there were only three members here including the old man. The warrior and the cleric were missing, and the ones here were far from good condition.

"What has happened to your team? Where are the other two"

"W-We were attacked by undead monsters coming out from the ground"

"They... didn't make it..."

The thief and the magic caster answered with heavy breath. They were wounded, but their wounds seemed like nothing compared to their leader, whom they had to carry with their shoulders. His green armor was smeared with red all over, and one of his legs bent to a way a human leg was never supposed to.

Momon took a vial of red liquid from his bag and splashed its content all over Parpatra. Within seconds, a magical light covered Parpatra's body and put him back into shape. Some wounds still remained, but it could be said that he was once again fit for battle.

Parpatra stood straight and still after his two comrades let him go from their shoulders. There was a silence as the other people were astonished by the healing effect of the potion, but just a few seconds later Parpatra dropped on his knees and slammed his fist on the ground.

"Goddammit!"

Parpatra's wail clearly displayed his regret. A regret of being powerless, unable to have everyone come back alive. The thief and the magic caster, ignoring their wounds, tried to comfort Parpatra. Momon then spoke to break the gloomy mood.

"From what I have seen, it seems the dangers in the ruins were too great for you to handle. Are the other teams still fighting there?"

Parpatra stood up, his face still showing regret but he had calmed down in general.

"We split up with the other team. They went further into the tomb while my team volunteered to explore the surface for possible missed secrets. We got to walk around for a few minutes, but suddenly several undead skeletons, not the regular skeleton commonly known, appeared from the ground"

"What kind of skeleton?"

"I have no idea. None of us had. They seemed to be regular skeleton warriors, but they were equipped with magic armor and weapons. We were overwhelmed and cornered but... Those two sacrificed themselves for our escape"

Parpatra was silend for a few seconds, and then he stomped his foot on the ground.

"Goddammit those two! I should have been the one doing that! I have lived my life, but they were still young with a future ahead of them!"

Another silence lasted for a few seconds before Momon spoke.

"I won't give you any wise words or such, since I believe you actually don't need any. For now, patch yourselves up and rest. Let's just hope the other teams will be as fortunate as you"

Momon then turned around and began walking away back to his tent.

"Wait, Momon-san! T-That potion was unlike anything I had ever seen! This old man can easily tell you used a secret trump card to help us! H-How much should I pay you for the potion?"

Momon stopped and turned his head to glance at Parpatra.

"I had no intention to heal you. My hand slipped and I spilled the bottle I had on my hand. You don't pay for someone else's mistake"

Without waiting for response, Momon resumed walking away from the group of people.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ainz and Albedo was still in the throne room, watching the monitors which displayed the fates of the intruders. His attention was currently focused on the one monitoring the surface level of Nazarick.

"Two casualties from that group... They are weaker than I expected, but still within reasonable range"

Albedo, standing straight right beside Ainz, asked a question after hearing Ainz's words.

"What would you like to do with their bodies, Momonga-sama?"

Ainz diverted his eyes to a different monitor, no longer paying heed to the monitor he had previously been watching.

"Leave them there for now. Now, about this group. The original plan for the group going that way was to divide them and send some of them to Kyouhukou, Neuronist, and... ah whatever. Anyway, is the new plan working smoothly?"

"Yes, Momonga-sama. They have not suffered any casualties so far from facing a horde of POP monsters, but they have exhausted a great deal of their powers. Soon, a group of Elder Liches will be sent to scare them off towards a teleportation trap which has been set up according to the new plan"

Ainz nodded hearing Albedo's explanation, and without thinking he muttered a single word.

"Good"

"Oh!"

Albedo showed a somewhat surprised reaction. Ainz went on alert immediately, thinking that something wrong had just happened.

"What? Something wrong happened?"

"Ah... no. It's just..."

Albedo had a hesitation in her speaking.

"I felt delighted, hearing the praise from Momonga-sama..."

"Oh, you scared me for a moment there"

This time, Albedo's face showed guilt and looked grim upon hearing Ainz's words.

"M-My apologies for the disruption! It was a foolish mistake of mine, causing Momonga-sama to worry needlessly!"

Albedo frantically bowed while Ainz, with his body pose unchanging, facepalmed in his mind.

 _Really, do I have to be so careful in speaking any words in front of her, and likely all other Floor Guardians as well? Did they really get the message from back then that I am not to be overly revered?_

"Let's just focus on the matter at hand. Now about this group... revert to the original plan. Let Hamsuke deal with this guy"

"As you command, Momonga-sama"

"Finally, about this group. The main focus and reason for all the changes of plans. I shall leave to the room planned for this matter. I will leave the rest here to you, Albedo"

Ainz stood from his throne as he said it. Albedo bowed as he began walking away.

"Understood, Momonga-sama"

Ainz walked towards the room designated for the new plan. In his mind he hoped things would go smoothly, but nevertheless he was still worried that they wouldn't.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **WHOOSH!**

 **POMF!**

Another group of undead monsters had been slain by Foresight Team. They had encountered so many hostiles within the ruins, but they still showed no sign of exhaustion.

That was mainly because the two temporary members, Sheep and Rose, had been doing most of the work. Both of them had killed every hostiles they encountered with a single attack. Sheep had been using her bow which had no ammunition limit since the arrows were energy bolts materialized out of thin air, while Rose launched fireballs from her sinister-looking purple staff.

The members of Foresight couldn't help being in awe despite having witnessed the power of Sheep and Rose. Both of them had once said during some idle talk that in ARKS they were nothing special.

If such power was nothing special, how strong the strongest person in ARKS could be?

That was the single question running in the mind of every Foresight members. The existence of such a powerful country like Oracle with a military organization consisting of numerous soldiers as strong as Sheep and Rose on average sounded very daunting for them. They couldn't imagine what would happen if someday the leader of Oracle decided to declare war against the countries here. As far as their knowledge went, only Slane Theocracy and Argland Council State would possibly have a fighting chance. It was probably an irrational fear, but nobody could know what the leaders of Oracle were thinking.

Still, the team knew that right now the two ARKS walking along them were their allies, and those two had saved their lives without expecting anything in return. There was no reason to doubt them.

 **DRRD!**

"What!?"

Suddenly, the wall next to the group slid down fast, revealing a small hidden space behind it. Right inside the small space, there were two undead monsters the Foresight team would have big trouble against: Elder Liches. In addition, it was apparent that the two Elder Liches had prepared a [Fireball] spell while being hidden by the wall before. The team had been pretty much ambushed.

"Oh crap!"

Hekkeran shouted, even though he knew that the spell launched by the Elder Liches would utterly destroy the whole team no matter how quick they could jump away from the spot. They would die there from failing to notice the surprise attack.

That was what would have happened if there were still only four of them.

 **BOOM!**

A violent explosion happened in the dark hall of the ruins, but strangely the structure still remained perfectly intact. There was no collapsing rubble or such, though everyone's vision still got obstructed by the dust for a few seconds. Soon, the dust settled and it was known that the party members were totally unharmed. No speck of surprised expression was visible in their face. This was thanks to the defensive buff spell from Rose which she had casted and maintained since the team's first encounter with undead monsters down this dark hall. The spell had once protected them from [Grand Fireball] casted by an Evil Deity, so mere [Fireball] casted by Elder Liches was nothing.

 **SCHWING!**

Sheep slayed one Elder Lich with a single shot from her bow, while Rose slayed the other with the spell which materialized spears of light to stab the target, the same spell which she had used to slay Piethoms.

"Good work, Sheep and Rose"

Both Sheep and Rose nodded with a smile in response to Hekkeran's words. The team was about to continue their walk through the dark hall since there was nothing of interest within the small hidden space other than the disintegrating remains of the two Elder Liches. However...

"Careful! There's still magic inside that space!"

Arche spoke her warning, and suddenly a purple magic circle materialized on the wall inside the hidden space. Without giving anyone time to react, several chains made of magic energy shot out from the magic circle and grabbed Rose, who was the closest from the magic circle. Not wasting any time, the chains quickly and forcefully dragged Rose into the circle.

"A-Aaah!"

Rose screamed as it happened. Within an instant, both the circle and Rose disappeared without a trace.

"Rose!"

Everyone shouted Rose's name and ran towards the small space, but...

 **DRRD!**

 **BLAM!**

The wall quickly closed with a loud banging sound. All the members of Foresight froze seeing what had just happened, while Sheep drew her bow, preparing to destroy the wall.

"No, Sheep. Even if you destroy the wall, Rose will not be there"

Sheep didn't say anything for a few seconds, but then she put her bow down and looked at Arche, the one who had just spoke.

"...Explain"

"That thing was some kind of teleportation trap. I have never seen one which could forcefully drag a specific target like that, but I'm sure Rose was simply teleported somewhere"

"What should we do then?"

Hekkeran then took the initiative to answer Sheep's question.

"We keep going forward. We will eventually run into whoever is behind this and kick their ass for messing with us!"

Hekkeran sounded very determined saying those words. His motivation was genuine.

"Took that right out of my mouth"

"Damn right, leader!"

"Count me in on that"

The other three members spoke their approval and solidarity out. Hekkeran could notice Sheep smiling a bit at this moment.

"Well, that is if Rose has not done that already by the time we get there"

"Could be. Ha! They had no idea what kind of trouble they had gotten themselves into!"

"Lead the way then, leader"

The group then continued walking down the dark hall of the ruins. They had just lost one party member, but they were still optimistic that they would reunite.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ainz sat down behind his work desk. His arms were folded and rested comfortably on the table. There was nothing placed on the table, and there was nobody else in the room other than himself, not even stealth sentries. Right now, he had nothing to do other than waiting for an important guest whom he expected to arrive anytime soon.

 **WHOOSH!**

 **BAMF!**

"Ow-!"

As Ainz had expected, a magic circle materialized at the other side of the work desk right above the seat for guest and dropped the expected guest right on top of the seat. Ainz kept himself silent, intending to let her collect herself after what had just happened to her.

It only took the guest a few seconds to notice Ainz's presence.

"A-Ah, you are-"

"Welcome to my home, Mel Rose"

Ainz couldn't confirm whether Rose or Meru was the one in control of the body. Judging from the clothes, it should be Rose. But Ainz didn't want to make assumptions hastily, so he had decided to address her with their name as a whole, which he thankfully still remembered.

"Y-Your home...?"

Mel Rose responded with a question spoken with a worried facial expression. From the way she responded, Ainz could make a guess that the one controlling the body right now was Meru but still wearing Rose's clothing. The reason for such setup was not Ainz's business so he didn't bother to ask anything about that matter.

"Yes. This is The Tomb of Nazarick, the one and only home of me, Ainz Ooal Gown. Now, would you tell me why you are among those intruding my home?"

Mel Rose averted her eyes, looking downwards. She was unable to give any answers.

"I expect you to answer quickly since my automatic defense systems are fully functional, and mind you, many of them are lethal against mere humans. Depending on your answer to my later questions, I may decide to deactivate them and spare those intruders. But I can't do anything for the ones who already perished"

Mel Rose suddenly twitched for a moment upon hearing Ainz's words. She then immediately spoke.

"It's a long story. In short, I grouped up with some people and we had a job request to explore a newly discovered ruin"

At this point, Ainz could make a guess that Rose had switched with Meru and now was the one in control. Ainz felt worried a little since he remembered that his standing in Rose's eyes was not that good compared to Meru, who at least seemed to be more trusting. He continued his speech anyway.

"I see. It's human nature to be curious, but the fact still remains that Tomb of Nazarick is my home and now there are intruders trying to loot it"

"Would it satisfy you if we leave without taking anything?"

Strangely, Rose seemed to be responding better than he had expected. Ainz actually had expected her to be angry now.

"I would have been, if you haven't damaged my home and killed a number of my minions already. However, I will offer you a deal"

"What kind of deal?"

"I want you to be my ally. If you agree I will spare as many as I possibly can, if they have not been killed by my defense systems already"

"Ally?"

Rose looked confused hearing the short proposal.

"Maybe I worded it too vaguely. I simply want you to stay around within my reach, so I can contact you when needed"

"Like Ryu, you mean?"

"Yes, like him"

Rose folded her arms, seemingly thinking. Ainz couldn't tell whether she was thinking alone or conversing with Meru, whatever their method of communication was.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

" _What do you think, Meru?"_

" _I'm not sure, Rose... But if we don't accept, the others will die..."_

" _He really drove us into a corner, huh...?"_

" _I'm sorry... I should have stopped them from taking the job..."_

" _Don't be sorry for everything that is not your fault"_

" _But..."_

" _In any case, there is one thing we should not do"_

" _What is it?"_

" _Don't let him know that Sheep is also an ARKS"_

" _Oh, yeah... Perhaps you're right"_

Rose was aware that right now it couldn't be confirmed whether Ainz had put Ryu under some kind of mind control or not. By taking the offer, and therefore putting herself in the same position as Ryu, she would have the chance to see if Ainz would put such thing on her sooner or later. If he knew that Sheep was also an ARKS, Ryu's sister even, he would definitely give the same offer to Sheep in a way that she wouldn't be able to refuse. If Rose's assumption about mind control was correct, in that case all three ARKS on this planet would fall into his grasp without any hope to get out of it.

With that decided, Rose nodded at Ainz.

"Alright, I will take your offer. As if I had any other choice anyway"

"A wise decision"

"So, would you let them all go now?"

"Yes, but just letting them go like that won't be entertaining, for me and them alike. I have a scenario planned to let them go, alive and well, in a magnificent way, and I need your cooperation. Are you in, Mel Rose?"

"What?"

Rose could only respond in confusion.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **So Ainz seems to have planned a supposedly spectacular show in place of the original plan. What kind of show will he pull off? Will it be magnificent like he claims, or will it be just overrated and ordinary?**

 **Well, in the end, it all will depend on how well I can write the coming scenario.**

 **On an unrelated news, this fic has become quite a long runner without me knowing it. One year and a half, and still counting. Do you like long-running stories like this or smaller scale ones which end rather fast? Your answers won't change my plan for this story, so feel free to speak your opinion.**

 **See you again later.**


	54. Chapter 48: Empathy and Solidarity

**Hello again, everyone.**

 **Thank you for all the answers to my last question.**

 **See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **The Western Ocean, ~100 Kilometers from Re-Lobell**

Hours had passed since the time the fleet of four military ships had sailed away from Re-Lobell in a mission to confront the Sea Dragon. So far, nothing had happened yet because they were still some distance from their supposed destination. Right now, the sun was still up but it was already nearing the horizon. In less than an hour, the sun would set completely and reduce visibility, which would be a disadvantage for the soldiers onboard.

Ryu's team was still onboard the command ship, which was the large ship sailing a short distance behind the three other ships. Lily had thankfully recovered from her bout of seasickness, and to make sure it wouldn't happen again she now kept herself floating with her [Valkyrian Flight] spell. Ryu wasn't really sure if this was a good idea since Lily now pretty much put the angelic wings on display for every soldiers onboard to see, which might or might not be good. But in any case, she now no longer felt sick like before and Ryu was glad on that regard. Right now, she was floating high above near the crow's nest of the ship to help on the lookout.

 **BUROOOOM!**

A horn was blown on deck, signaling that there would be an announcement. Within minutes, a large number of soldiers gathered on the deck and lined up. In front of them stood the captain of the ship. His uniform was decorated, signifying his position. His face was quite tense but determined.

Ryu was not interested in whatever speech the captain was going to do. He could easily guess that the captain was going to give an inspiring speech to his men, since they would be against a creature of unfathomable might and their mission was highly likely to be a suicide mission.

Ryu had a hard time shaking off a feeling of guilt inside his mind. His team had the advantage of being able to fly, so when things go south they all could just flee by flying away. None of the soldiers had that luxury, so if the ships sank they all would be at the mercy of the ocean, which was the domain of the Sea Dragon.

"Liz..."

"Yes?"

"Life is so unfair, isn't it. We're here with all the powers we have, while those men over there had none of it. If the Sea Dragon is really infected by Darkers, they all will just perish within an instant"

As usual, Alice's face didn't show any changes after hearing Ryu's concern.

"And your point is...?"

"I feel bad that we can easily fly away if things go south. Even the Admiral back then asked us to do exactly that when he found out that all three of us could fly. I just can't... are we really worth that much more than all these men?"

Alice only let out a single sigh hearing Ryu's words.

"Well yeah, in an ideal word everyone's worth the same. All lives equal and all that stuff. But such ideal world can only exist in fantasies, and an overly dreamy one at that. Yes, we are worth much more than all these soldiers combined, like it or not. This is the proof of that"

Alice put one finger on the Adamantite Rank plate she wore on her chest. The gesture reminded Ryu about how Adamantite Rank adventurers were revered in this country and other countries as well. People of this planet valued those who possessed great combat power because of the threat from monsters lurking around in the wild.

"Really, from what I've experienced so far working in this team, I'm pretty convinced that you are not fit to be a leader. You're too much of an idealist, and you try too hard to please everyone"

Alice's words figuratively stabbed Ryu's chest. It was blunt and direct, but Ryu couldn't argue against that since she was pretty much on point. He had never been told like that back in ARKS because he had never been a leader in anything that had actually required leadership skills and attitude. Now that he was in a leading role, his flaws on the matter had become apparent.

"Sorry about that. Would you like to take over then?"

Alice did a light facepalm while shaking her head in response of Ryu's words.

"See what I mean? And my answer is... Hell no! Despite what I said, I'm not leader material myself. In addition, those in E-Rantel who know me will question that, and... Lily's father won't like that"

Alice's answer immediately reminded Ryu that Ainz, considering things that had happened so far, wouldn't like having Alice, an ordinary local adventurer, suddenly leading the team despite both Ryu and Lily being much stronger than her. Even though Ryu no longer owed anything to Ainz, he knew that a good relationship had to be maintained, and what he had just proposed was in no way a good idea at all for that.

 **DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!**

Before Ryu and Alice could continue their conversation, suddenly they heard a loud ringing sound. It was the sound of a bell tolling frantically. The sound came not from the ship they were on, but from one of the three ships sailing ahead.

"I'll go check. Wait here for the moment"

Ryu immediately went to the captain to check what the bell was about. From how frantically the bell had tolled, Ryu was worried that one of the ships ahead of this ship was under attack. Ryu's worry was soon reinforced seeing the captain ordering his men to prepare for battle with a tense expression.

"Captain sir, what was the bell about?"

"Something urgent has just happened. That is as far as a bell signal could tell us"

Without waiting further, Ryu went back to Alice. By this time, Lily had descended down from the crow's nest and now she was standing next to Alice.

"Something urgent has happened to one of the front ships. Did you see which ship tolled the bell, Lily?"

"I heard the bell from the ship on the left, Ryu-san! But I couldn't make out what was happening there"

"Alright. I will go check. Wait here and guard this ship while I'm gone"

Lily nodded, but Alice immediately spoke.

"Hey, no matter what you find, come back immediately and inform the captain"

"Alright"

"Be careful out there"

Ryu immediately used [Fly] spell from his Flight Necklace to fly straight to the ship ahead of the command ship to the left. The distance was close enough to arrive within seconds, and what Ryu saw right as he arrived was the sight of a melee battle between the soldiers onboard and a bunch of blue humanoid creatures with fins on parts of their body.

Before Ryu could assess the situation further, suddenly one of the blue humanoids noticed him and immediately jumped right at him with their sword-like weapon readied to slash.

 _Mirage Escape_

Ryu just simply activated his evasion move, which was now much easier to use thanks to his ability to float and fly. With Ryu being immaterial for a brief moment, the creature went right past him and fell to the ocean below.

 **HISSS!**

Within seconds, several of the same creature emerged from the water. One of them pointed their finger at Ryu, and the others launched some projectiles. Ryu took some hits, but none of them did any damage to his photon armor. These creatures were too weak to be of any threat for Ryu.

However, the same couldn't be applied to the soldiers fighting. They were more numerous, but the creatures were a lot stronger individually. From a quick look, Ryu estimated that it would need at least five soldiers to take out one creature. With the way the battle was going, Ryu couldn't help much without causing collateral damage and friendly fire. Therefore, he flew to the middle of the ship and began charging photon.

 _Shifta!_

 _Deband!_

Ryu casted his two buffing photon techs to empower the soldiers onboard in both offense and defense. Unfortunately, because the empowerment from the techs were based on a portion of the target's natural attributes, the soldiers didn't get that much stronger, but it would at least serve to even the field a bit. After that, Ryu activated his photon interface to determine whether the hostiles were infected by Darker or not.

"Ah, crap..."

The hostiles were infected. The infection was still not severe enough to make the hostiles any stronger than they were, but they still had gone berserk from the infection, urging them to attack any living thing other than fellow infectees.

Remembering Alice's words, Ryu immediately flew back to the command ship. A feeling of guilt crept up his mind, but he knew that information had to be relayed quickly to other ships. Nevertheless, Ryu couldn't help much if the crowd of enemies and allies were mixed all over the deck like this anyway. Going back was the best course of action.

Ryu arrived back to the command ship within seconds and he immediately went to the captain, who was still giving commands to his men to prepare for battle at any moment.

"Captain sir, the left ship ahead is being invaded by blue humanoid creatures with fins. A battle is ongoing there"

The captain seemed surprised hearing Ryu's words.

"Merfolks? God damn! Why are they attacking!?"

"Did you just say Merfolk? We're supposed to be on neutral relationship with them"

The one who just spoke was Alice. She had noticed Ryu coming back so both she and Lily had approached Ryu to hear about what was happening.

"The merfolks are infected with... parasitic spores that makes them go berserk"

"Ryu, you mean..."

"I'm afraid yes, Liz. The merfolks are infected by Darker"

The captain then immediately spoke after hearing Ryu's words.

"This is bad. Adventurers, could you please go there and help?"

"Right away"

Ryu responded with his approval immediately. He looked at Alice and Lily, and they all nodded. Without delay, all three of them flew towards the left forward ship, fully intending to act as reinforcements.

However...

 **SPLASH!**

When Ryu's team was about halfway towards their destination, a huge pillar of water suddenly emerged right next to the right of the command ship. The wave resulting from the event tilted the command ship, but thankfully it didn't get flipped over. All three of Ryu's team stopped and looked back.

"What was that?"

"Don't tell me..."

Alice's face turned grim as the water settled, revealing what had caused such a huge splash. It was a huge creature which resembled a giant serpent but with wings growing on its back. The wings seemed to be a little too small compared to its body. Overall, the creature was quite visibly bigger than the command ship.

 **SKREEEEEEE!**

The huge creature roared loudly, sending chills down the spine.

"Liz, is that the Sea Dragon?"

"Yeah, that's the one"

Ryu had no idea what to do with the current situation. The left ship was still in need for reinforcement against the merfolk hostiles, but the Sea Dragon right next to the command ship was also a threat. He couldn't decide whether splitting up would be a good idea or not. Even if they would split up, who would be the one to go alone?

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

The members of Team Foresight, and also Sheep, were now walking down a different hallway than the one they had before. After losing Rose, they had walked for quite a while, slaying some more undead creatures along the way. The last group of undead they had slayed had revealed a hidden small space containing a glowing magic circle which felt somehow inviting.

And that had been why they were here in this hallway now.

The magic circle had been a one way teleportation point, as Arche had analyzed. The group had decided to take the invitation and so they had jumped onto the magic circle together holding hands. Thankfully, they had not gotten separated on the way during teleportation.

"You know, I'm actually starting to get afraid..."

Arche spoke her concern, and her face looked genuinely worried.

"This hallway looks very similar to the one in the Empire's grand arena, so it is probable that we will have to fight something once we are out of this hallway. Also, using teleportation spell as a trap is a feat of magic I can never dream of. I can't imagine how strong the one behind all this is..."

Arche's concern was valid. From the limited information they had, they could estimate that the one behind this would be beyond what the team could handle. Sheep was unfathomably stronger than the team, but if the enemy just happened to be even stronger, all of them were pretty much doomed.

"...But I won't back down. They have taken Rose, our friend and comrade. I will see this through and get her back, even if that will be the last thing I do"

Arche gripped her staff tightly, her face now determined. The others smiled, determination also coming to their faces. Arche knew that the chance of her surviving this ordeal was low, if any. It was sad that her sisters wouldn't ever see her again and they would never know why. But she had chosen to take this job, and now the consequence was presented in front of her.

If anyone asked Arche whether she regretted her choice, she would definitely say yes. She would even blame Hekkeran without hesitation for getting her into this situation. But everybody here including her knew that wailing out of regret and throwing blame left and right wouldn't make the situation any better. The best course of action she could do as part of the team was to move forward and see things through, and the others knew that as well.

"Everyone..."

Sheep suddenly spoke, and the others looked at her as she walked forward to the front of the group. Her face showed even more determination than the others.

"If the one behind this is too much for you, leave everything to me and stay away"

As Sheep said it, she materialized a different weapon behind her hip. It looked like a sword in a metallic scabbard, but the scabbard itself was split in two at the base, and merged halfway towards the end, making it look like a thin straight 'Y' sideways. What was curious about the weapon was that unlike the bow, this one didn't look sinister at all. Its colors were a combination of a majorly dark blue with some yellow and white accents as secondary colors.

"Urgh..."

Arche suddenly staggered, her hands cupped in front of her mouth as if she was holding an urge to vomit. Roberdyck quickly held her to prevent her from falling.

"Sorry... I was caught by surprise sensing the aura coming from Sheep. It was even more overwhelming for me to see and feel compared to when she had her bow. But don't worry about me. I can suppress this Talent of mine to certain extent"

"Sheep, is that another weapon of yours?"

"Yes... don't wander near me when I fight with this. I might accidentally hurt you, or worse..."

The others just gulped hearing Sheep's words, and then they all continued walking. Soon, they arrived at the end of the hallway, where a gate stood tall. As if it had been expecting them, the gate rose quickly, opening the way into the arena.

"Woah!"

Hekkeran didn't hide his astonishment seeing the view of the arena. The field was wide as expected of a grand arena, and the audience seats were filled with numerous golems. The starry sky was also a sight to behold.

"Wait, the sky? Did we get teleported outside the ruins?"

 **BLAM!**

Before anyone could respond to Hekkeran's question, the gate behind them closed down with a deafening sound after the last person had passed through. All five of the group knew that this was a sign that they had passed a point of no return. They had to face whatever would come next.

"Wait, isn't that...?"

Imina pointed at something across the arena field. There was a human figure walking towards them, which they somehow had failed to notice when they had entered the arena. Now that Imina had pointed it out, it didn't take long for them to recognize who the human figure was.

"Momon? That can't be!"

"Of course, Rober. By all chances it might be just smokes and mirrors. Arche, can you sense anything?"

"It is a fake. Momon doesn't have any aura for me to see since he is a warrior, but that Momon has one"

Before the group could assess their situation further, suddenly a voice echoed throughout the arena grounds.

"Welcome to my Amphitheater!"

Along with the voice, something descended down from the sky above. They all looked in awe as the skeletal figure dressed in black magic caster robes of superlative quality landed several meters in front of them, right next to the fake Momon who had just stopped in place. At that moment, Arche suddenly fell down on her bottom. Her eyes clearly displayed fear and disbelief, and then she immediately vomited on the ground.

"Arche!"

"Hang in there!"

Imina and Roberdyck immediately held Arche, but they had no idea what to do. Seeing her reaction, they could immediately guess that this skeletal figure had an even stronger aura than Sheep.

"Oh, it seems one of you notices the greatness of my power. How nice"

"Guys... his power is... beyond... what we can... ever dream to achieve... Not even you, Sheep..."

With heavy breath, Arche mustered her strength to speak to her friends. Hekkeran stood still, his eyes showing acceptance to the situation.

"I will try talking to him. Let's hope for the best"

However, before Hekkeran could begin talking, the skeletal figure raised his right hand, telling him to stop. Hekkeran complied because he knew that doing otherwise was not a good idea.

"First, I will introduce myself. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, but you can address me with just Ainz. I am the one and only master of this tomb. You can say that this tomb is my home, and I believe you are intruders seeking to pillage it"

Hekkeran couldn't argue against that because Ainz was essentially right. Still, he tried his best to negotiate.

"We wish to apologize for entering your tomb without permission. If you can find it in your heart to forgive us, we will gladly pay the appropriate compensation to atone for our transgressions"

Ainz's response was dull, not moving any part of his body at all. His face lacking expression didn't help either.

"I have no idea how you humans do it, but if you find a thief in your house and he apologizes, would you really just let him go? Hmm?"

"Uhh, no... but-"

"Nevertheless, speak no further. The fact presented to me led me to make a decision, which is to punish all of you for intruding my property. The punishment is... a challenge"

"Challenge?"

Hekkeran, and the others as well, had never expected this. They had expected Ainz to say that the punishment was an immediate death by his own hands, and they were already prepared to fight to the end.

"Yes, I have been in this tomb for who knows how long and I am getting bored. Fight against my underling and see if you will entertain me enough to reward you with freedom. Your main opponent will be this Doppelganger next to me. I know nothing about this human, but he is the one whom all of you collectively think as the strongest person you ever know, so I couldn't care less"

"Please pardon me, Ainz-sama. May I ask a question?"

Ainz lifted two fingers.

"I will allow up to two questions. Think carefully about what you will ask, go discuss with your fellows if you think it is necessary, but do not take too long. I am not so patient"

Hekkeran quickly went to the others.

"What do you think, guys?"

"Rather than the question, I'm more concerned to the fact that we will have to fight a Doppelganger of Momon"

"Yeah, leader. I have heard stories about one, but I have never seen one"

"A Doppelganger, mimicking Momon on top of that, is way out of our league..."

"I know nothing about a Doppelganger. Anyone care to explain to me?"

Hekkeran then tried his best to explain to Sheep.

"Doppelganger is a shapeshifter creature capable of copying someone else perfectly in the matter of appearance and combat skills. I don't know much about them myself, but I've heard stories that even without copying anyone they are already highly dangerous, capable of destroying a city within a day"

"Heh, that reminds me of Persona"

"What?"

"Never mind. Just some old memories. Anyway, I will take him on"

Sheep spoke with a determined tone. Her resolve was clear to the others' eyes.

"We will support you from the back then. Sorry that you have to end up in this situation, Sheep"

"Just remember not to wander too close to me"

Hekkeran nodded and looked at the rest of the team.

"So, one question should be on Rose's whereabout. The other one?"

"It's not like he would make the challenge easier if we ask the 'right' question. I actually think that allowing you to ask might be actually a trap"

In Hekkeran's mind, what Sheep had just said was plausible. The chance was not zero that Ainz had prepared some kind of wordplay trap which would lower the chance of the team getting out of here alive, if they had any to begin with. But if Ainz was genuinely generous to allow two questions, not taking the offer would make them look like fools.

"Leader, just ask about Rose and then ask the second question depending on his answer to that question"

Hekkeran gave Roberdyck's opinion a thought for a few seconds, and then he nodded.

"Alright, let's go with that. Prepare for battle, everyone"

Everyone nodded, and Hekkeran turned back to Ainz.

"Ainz-sama. To tell you the truth, there was one more member among us but she got separated by a teleportation trap. Would you tell us where she is now?"

Ainz's immediate response was a small laugh.

"It is really human nature not to pay full attention to things above them, eh?"

Ainz then looked upwards, towards the top of the large gate the team had gone through to enter the arena. Everyone else immediately looked towards the same spot, and they immediately saw the answer.

Right on top of the gate there was a large floating crystal, and Rose was sealed standing inside the crystal. Her eyes were open, but there were no movement. They couldn't even tell if she was still alive or not.

"She turned my room into a total mess when I tried talking to her. I couldn't just let it slide, could I? Nevertheless, she is not dead, just unconscious"

"Arche! Is she really Rose?"

Hekkeran called Arche without paying much heed to Ainz's words. Arche, immediately getting what Hekkeran wanted, flew to the crystal and took a closer look.

"She is really Rose, no doubt about it! Her aura is the same!"

"Hahahaha!"

Ainz suddenly laughed.

"It seems one of you has some kind of ability to see things others can't! The sam-" "I mean, that is interesting!"

Hekkeran couldn't help thinking that he had made a mistake. He had been too concerned about Rose that he had mistakenly revealed Arche's Talent to Ainz.

"So, the second question?"

"Ainz-sama, would you let her go as well if we win the challenge?"

"You intruding and she wrecking my room are different matters, but to answer your question... yes, I will. However, there is a catch"

Ainz then did a finger snap, and suddenly something appeared next to Doppel-Momon. It was immediately clear to the members of Foresight that the one which had just appeared was another Doppelganger, but this one was mimicking Nabe.

"Your opponents will be these two instead of just one. Are you up for _this_ challenge?"

Hekkeran hesitated to give his answer. Assuming that their abilities were the same, fighting only Doppel-Momon would be still winnable with Sheep holding him at bay while Hekkeran's team support her from range. But if Doppel-Nabe was added into the mix, things would get a lot more difficult, if not outright impossible to win.

But he had no choice other than taking the challenge. Choosing to sacrifice Rose for the easier challenge would be a betrayal to Sheep and she would probably refuse to fight, making the challenge impossible for them anyway.

While pondering about this, Hekkeran glanced at Sheep and the others.

"You're thinking that you have no choice because of me, aren't you?"

Hekkeran wasn't that surprised. He had known Sheep for long enough to know that she would read him just like that.

"Being honest, my answer is... yes indeed. But look, Sheep. You and Rose have been with us for quite some time, and a lot of things have happened. At the beginning, I saw you as a strong helper. But now, I see both of you as partners, as friends! We all do! Right, guys?"

"You don't need to ask"

"Right there, leader!"

"Yes, of course"

The other three members spoke their approval with clear display of resolve. Hekkeran immediately followed up by continuing his speech.

"Even if I had a choice, I would still take the option to save Rose. She has saved our lives, and now it's natural for us to return the favor"

The other three nodded with approval, and Sheep seemed to smile seeing that. Hekkeran then turned to Ainz, and he spoke with clear resolve like the others.

"So, Ainz-sama. We will take the challenge to save Rose as well"

Ainz didn't speak at all in response. Instead, he did a slow clap with his skeletal hands. After a few claps, he finally spoke.

"Wonderful. I want to cry now"

Ainz's tone was dull and straight like before. Hekkeran couldn't help feeling that Ainz was mocking their resolve, which felt quite upsetting. But he knew that he had to let it slide since Ainz was too dangerous for him to voice any kind of complaint.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Good grief, Mel Rose was so right saying that she got good friends. That was genuinely touching._

Ainz was quite impressed by the friendship the people in front of him had just shown. Once again, he was reminded of the solidarity between friends he had experienced back then in YGGDRASIL, and he was glad that he had made the right decision to revise the plans. Reminiscing material was not something one could get everyday.

 _Jeez, I've been winging it as I go. I hope I haven't said anything suspicious._

Despite what he had said about the Doppelgangers, he actually had ordered them to mimic Momon and Nabe. Normally, mere humans like the people in front of him would stand no chance against these two. However, the single demon-like person among the group was a different story altogether. Ainz suspected her to be as strong as Rose, but he could not be sure. In addition, it seemed that now she had a different weapon in place of the demonic-looking bow she had been using while under surveillance before, so information about her fighting capability was very lacking. Having his two Doppelgangers defeated easily by this 'Sheep' girl wouldn't be a good show.

Therefore, in case his suspicion would turn out to be true, Doppel-Momon was based on Perfect Warrior Momon instead of the normal Momon. As the result, even after having been ordered to keep his opponents alive, Doppel-Momon would risk accidentally killing the humans in the battle thanks to his overwhelming power, which was a risk Ainz had decided to take in order to test the strength of Sheep.

 _Sheep... Weird name... I wonder if that's not her actual name. Ah whatever, I will ask later if I remember._

"Are you ready to take on the challenge?"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"I hope they will be fine..."

"I hope that bonehead will keep his words"

Meru and Rose were standing inside a strange space. There were nothing around them other than the wide pale blue surface they were standing on, pale green sky all over, and a nearby monitor-like board made of strange energy which displayed what the eyes of their body could see.

The place they were in was, in simple terms, the mind of the body of Mel Rose. Normally, when either Meru or Rose was controlling the body, the other would stay in this place. Both of them could communicate to each other easily, and while it had been not so easy in the past, they could switch control at will as long as there was mutual consent.

Right now, for both of them, the situation was their first experience. So far, whenever Mel Rose slept, the one controlling the body would be asleep as well and not present in this mind space. Since the eyes of the body were naturally shut while sleeping, the monitor would display nothing either, and therefore the one inside the mind space usually slept too. Both Meru and Rose being present together inside the mind space had never happened before, until now.

"Rose..."

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry if this isn't the right time, but I want to say... that I'm happy to see you here, together with me"

"Heh, I have no idea how and why this could happen, but yeah. I'm... kinda happy too"

Meru made a happy smile hearing Rose's reply. Rose couldn't help blushing seeing Meru's cute smiling face, despite knowing that she and Meru had the same face.

"By the way, now that we're both here, can you explain what happened in here back then?"

"You mean, when everything went really strange here?"

"Uh-huh. I really wonder why I got really lightheaded back then. That was when... Sheep called me Guardian, right?"

Before Meru could answer, suddenly things took a strange turn inside the mind space. The ground surface distorted randomly, and the same applied to the sky which was smeared with distorted random colors on top of that. In addition, there were strange gibberish noises all around.

"W-What?"

"Rose...!"

Meru and Rose hugged each other out of reflex while this was happening, which thankfully only lasted for a few seconds. Everything seemingly went back to normal afterwards.

"Is it over...?"

"I guess so. Was that what happened before?"

"Yes... I was scared, Rose... I thought... I was going to disappear..."

Meru hugged Rose tightly as she said it. Rose gently caressed Meru's back in response.

"Don't worry, Meru. You won't disappear. Not on my watch"

Rose couldn't help noticing that it seemed the one thing which had triggered the strange reaction in both occasions was that single word.

"Guardian..."

 **WHOOSH!**

A gust of wind passed them, and the strange distortion happened again. But this time it was noticeably tame compared to before, and ended slightly faster.

"It seems that word is the trigger for some reason"

"But what does that mean..?"

"No idea, so let's just keep it in mind for now"

Rose and Meru let go of their hug, and they resumed watching the event unfolding outside, hopeful that Ainz would keep his end of the bargain.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"We are ready, Ainz-sama"

Hekkeran answered, followed by a nod of approval by the others.

"So be it then"

Ainz then flew towards the spot where VIP seats were placed and sat down on one of the front row seats. All combatants on both sides immediately took battle stance.

With an echoing voice which reached the entire field of the arena, Ainz announced the beginning of the battle.

"Let the battle... **BEGIN!** "

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Well, guess now both Ryu's team and Mel Rose's team are in a pinch. Look forward to the next chapter to see how the events will unfold.**

 **See you next time.**


	55. Chapter 49: Obliteration

**Hello,all. It's time for another chapter.**

 **The Workers side of the story will mostly conclude here, so there's no cliffhanger.**

 **See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **SCHWING!**

 **RRRRMBL!**

As soon as Ainz shouted for the battle to begin, Sheep glowed for a very brief moment and unsheathed her weapon with an upward slashing motion. The move created a geyser-like energy shockwave which grew larger as it advanced quickly towards Doppel-Momon.

 **SLASH!**

 **WHOOSH!**

With a single heavy slash from the sword on his left hand, Doppel-Momon deflected the shockwave without flinching, causing it to disperse and do no damage. At this moment, Doppel-Nabe flew up and launched a spell towards Sheep.

[Fireball]

A fireball was launched from Doppel-Nabe straight towards Sheep, who quickly did a sidestep, causing it to only hit the ground. She didn't even seem to get damaged by the fireball's splash damage.

Within an instant, Sheep's weapon disappeared and the sinister-looking bow appeared in its place. She then immediately did a few quick shots at Doppel-Nabe, who gracefully evaded all the shots. Doppel-Momon quickly charged at Sheep and did a horizontal slash. It was a miss because Sheep sidestepped again, rotating her position and putting herself behind Doppel-Momon. Her weapon was switched back to the strange sword again, and she did a flurry of slashes at Doppel-Momon's back. In retaliation, Doppel-Momon did a back kick which missed but was enough to make Sheep stop her attack and jump away.

Sheep then switched to her bow again, turned to face Doppel-Nabe who was still floating, and did something strange. She jumped up doing a backflip, then she held her bow horizontally right in front of her. Her whole body glowed, and suddenly she was launched straight towards Doppel-Nabe at incredible speed.

Sheep had just shot Doppel-Nabe with _herself_ as the arrow. Ainz couldn't help being surprised, leaning his body forward. That kind of move was totally against laws of physics, so some kind of magic or Martial Arts was definitely involved there.

Doppel-Nabe managed to evade the strange attack using [Teleportation], putting herself near Doppel-Momon. As soon as she landed on the ground, Sheep took a quick look at Doppel-Momon and Doppel-Nabe, and then she jumped with a spinning motion. As soon as she was facing her targets, Sheep somehow stopped her spinning motion mid-air, drew her bow, and launched a shot heavy enough to propel herself further away.

 **BOOM!**

The energy bolt Sheep had launched hit the ground and created a massive explosion. Doppel-Momon managed to guard against it, and therefore took little damage, but Doppel-Nabe, having been caught by surprise, took quite a significant damage from the explosion.

In the mean time, the Workers who were with Sheep had been doing nothing but watching. They were all in alert, battle-ready stance, but they seemed unable to find the right moment to take action. It was expected, since they pretty much were watching a battle between monsters. Any reckless action would just add a casualty and make the situation worse.

 _Interesting. She's able to hold her own against Doppel-Momon._

Ainz had been observing the fight and couldn't help feeling intrigued. Doppel-Momon, although based on Perfect Warrior Momon, was still just a Doppelganger copy and therefore notably weaker than the genuine Perfect Warrior Momon. Despite that fact, Ainz could estimate that Doppel-Momon's power was about equal to a Warrior-type of around level 75 to 80, which was nevertheless still much stronger than any local beings he had encountered, barring that level 85 giant living tree he remembered. Yet this Sheep girl seemed to be able to fight on equal footing with Doppel-Momon.

 _If a local can be this strong, I really should up the fortifications of Nazarick. Still, I can't help feeling that her movements are somewhat familiar._

As Ainz was trying to remember, Sheep switched back to her strange sword and brandished it towards Doppel-Momon, who was quite a distance apart from her. It was at this point Ainz could see that Sheep's sword was shaped more like an ancient Japanese weapon called Jitte than a sword.

Sheep pointed her sword upwards and it began to glow slightly. She then rotated her arms, making the sword move in a circular motion like the hands of a clock. Afterimages of it could be seen as it rotated, and Ainz immediately knew that something dangerous would come once the sword completed a full circle. Doppel-Momon seemed to know that as well, thus immediately charging at Sheep to interrupt whatever she was preparing.

Doppel-Momon came at Sheep with his shoulder put ahead, intending to bash Sheep with a shoulder charge. With his strength based from Perfect Warrior Momon, he would have no problem pinning Sheep to the arena wall and then crushing her.

However...

[Impenetrable Fortress]

 **CLANG!**

Doppel-Momon's shoulder charge met a figurative hard wall which didn't budge. Sheep didn't even flinch at all from the impact.

 _What the-? Is that a Martial Art? It's like the one that Clementine woman used against me!_

Immediately, Sheep's sword completed a full circle and erected a very long energy blade, at least twenty meters tall. Sheep then did a downward slash with that giant energy blade.

 **BOOM!**

The impact made a loud sound followed by an explosion of dirt. Once the dust settled, Ainz saw that a long crater had been created by that attack. Doppel-Momon thankfully had managed to evade a direct hit, though the explosion still had pushed him away.

 _The hell? That was almost the same as Rose's Photon Art! Was it a coincidence, or did Rose teach her that move like Ryu did to me?_

A lot of things was going on in Ainz's mind. Right now the fact was clear that there was a strong local capable of using both Martial Arts and Photon Art, and it had also been presented that she could use a Martial Art in the middle of charging a Photon Art without interrupting it. Such mixture would be a force not to be taken lightly at all, and it was quite terrifying to think what would happen if more people like her decided to be hostile against Nazarick.

 _I wonder if I can learn more things from her. Nevertheless..._

[Message]

Ainz contacted Doppel-Momon with the spell, trying his best to be discreet and not be noticed by any of the opponents.

"Worthy"

Ainz immediately ended the spell after saying the word. Before this event, Ainz had instructed Doppel-Momon to hold back his strength while Ainz observed the battle. He also had told Doppel-Momon two keywords to determine the next course of action. 'Worthless' would mean 'Keep holding back' while 'Worthy' would mean 'Get serious'.

The decision was made after confirming that Sheep was indeed a lot stronger than the other Workers in Rose's team. Ainz had no idea whether Sheep was a local demon or some kind of demihuman and why she was masquerading as human among the Worker team. He didn't even know whether Rose and the other Workers knew about Sheep's true identity or not.

 _There are a whole lot of questions in my mind. I suppose I will ask about them later. For now, let's see how long she would last against serious Doppel-Momon._

Ainz leaned forward, watching the ongoing battle full of interest.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

" _Woah..."_

" _She's pretty good. I would have never thought of using Martial Arts along with Photon Art"_

Rose and Meru had been watching the ongoing battle from this mind space they were currently in. Their role for now was to just wait until Ainz released their body from this crystal, so watching the battle was the only thing they could do while waiting.

" _Still, why is she still using the old version of Kazan Nadeshiko? The modified version I have since long ago is a straight upgrade without the flashy rotating motion that leaves you vulnerable"_

" _Remember that she is from the same place as Ryu, Rose"_

" _Oh yeah... Maybe you're right"_

Rose remembered that there was a possibility that the ARKS Sheep and Ryu had come from was different from the ARKS she had come from herself. In this case, the term "different" could likely mean, "from a parallel universe". If this was true, Rose could assume from what Ryu had said back then that the ARKS he had come from was years behind in technology advancement, and therefore modified Photon Arts still didn't exist yet over there.

" _Anyway, our time might come soon. I should get myself ready"_

" _Good luck, Rose. Be careful"_

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Guys, do you think we can strike?"

"Don't ask me"

Roberdyck gave that answer because he truly had no idea. The ongoing battle was beyond what they could have ever imagined. Even without participating, the whole team was already at risk of becoming collateral damage to the destruction thrown around. The defensive buff from Rose had worn off, so now they were all vulnerable to damage from even a stray spell.

"Leave Momon alone and focus your attention on Nabe"

Hekkeran had been observing the situation and judged that Doppel-Momon was too far beyond what the team could possibly handle, thus he made that decision. The team should try to at least hinder Doppel-Nabe, who was wounded from Sheep's attack, from interfering with Sheep. Still, despite having taken damage from Sheep, Doppel-Nabe was still a copy of Nabe, the Adamantite Rank adventurer. They had to take actions carefully.

Right now, the team was positioned on one side of the arena while Sheep was nearly all the way at the other end. Both Doppel-Momon and Doppel-Nabe were in-between, their backs turned to them, and seemingly wide-open to attack. Knowing this, Hekkeran looked at Imina and Arche, signaling them to begin an attack. Both Imina and Arche nodded, and Imina immediately drew her bow.

[Enchant – Fire]

Arche casted a spell which enchanted the arrow Imina was about to use with fire. Imina then immediately shot the arrow right at Doppel-Nabe's back. At the same time, Arche casted an offensive spell aimed at Doppel-Nabe.

[Lightning]

The two attacks went straight to Doppel-Nabe at high speed. However, Doppel-Nabe disappeared just before the attacks could hit.

"You think I didn't know?"

Doppel-Nabe was suddenly right behind Arche and Imina. Before the two could properly react, Doppel-Nabe did a wide roundhouse kick.

 **SMACK! SMACK! THUD!**

The kick hit both Arche and Imina, throwing them away and sending them to the ground. Both of them were writhing in pain right after.

"I don't even need magic to crush fleas like you"

Roberdyck immediately went to the two girls. It didn't take long for him to notice the fact that the one attack had seemed to break some of their bones.

[Cure Moderate Wounds]

Roberdyck used a spell to heal Arche and Imina, but taking that much damage had definitely inflicted a significant amount of both physical and mental fatigue on both of them.

"Don't look down on us!"

[Physical Boost]

Hekkeran activated a Martial Art to buff himself and then he immediately charged at Doppel-Nabe. He did a number of slashes and also the offensive Martial Art [Twin Blade Strike], but Doppel-Nabe effortlessly parried all of them with her sword.

 **WHAM!**

 **THUD!**

A single quick strike to the face with her elbow was all she needed to make Hekkeran stop. He fell on his back with his nose bleeding, seemingly also broken. Roberdyck quickly went to Hekkeran.

[Cure Moderate Wounds]

With the spell, Hekkeran's nose was healed. It was strange that Doppel-Nabe had never interrupted Roberdyck from healing the others. Was that her form of mockery?

"Why don't you fleas come at me at once, so I can crush all of you together?"

"Aaaargh!"

[Limit Breaker]

[Iron Fist]

[Dull Pain]

Hekkeran, having lost his calm, fell for it. He immediately charged at Doppel-Nabe again after unleashing multiple Martial Arts at once. Arche and Imina, seeing what was happening, launched an attack with [Magic Arrow] and a quick shot respectively, hoping that at least one attack would hit.

"Never mind"

[Mass Shock Constriction]

 **BZZT!**

All four of Foresight Team were suddenly enveloped in electricity. None of them could move any part of their body even though there were nothing binding them physically. The tingling sensation while this was happening was also uncomfortable.

"I have decided that you fleas are still worthy of being burned to a crisp instead"

Doppel-Nabe then began preparing another spell. Hekkeran, and probably the others as well, knew that this would be their end. They had failed, and now they would have to face death.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **CLANG!**

There was a resounding echo as Sheep and Doppel-Momon's weapons clashed. For some reason, Doppel-Momon had become more aggressive than before, giving Sheep no room to breathe. Over his shoulders, Sheep could see her comrades trying to fight Doppel-Nabe to no success. In fact, Sheep had just seen Arche and Imina getting kicked very hard.

"Tch!"

Sheep rushed towards her comrades. She felt that she must come into their aid, since they had said themselves that she was the only one with fighting chance against these opponents. However, Doppel-Momon stood right in front of her, blocking her advance.

"Your opponent is me"

"Get out of my way!"

 **CLANG!**

Sheep and Doppel-Momon clashed their weapons again, and this time his strength was overwhelming, pushing Sheep back several meters.

"Aaargh!"

Sheep grunted and immediately dashed forward again. Doppel-Momon blocked her way once more, and Sheep did a combination of heavy slashes. Doppel-Momon blocked all of them effortlessly and countered with a quick shoulder charge.

 **WHACK! THUD!**

Sheep was thrown off several meters by the shoulder charge, taking quite a significant damage. She quickly stood up, and the sight she saw behind Doppel-Momon was her comrades being trapped by some kind of electricity magic, and Doppel-Nabe seemingly preparing another spell.

"Get... out... of... my... way...!"

"Make me"

A flame of rage was fueled inside Sheep's mind. Her comrades, the first friends she had ever made in this planet, was about to be killed by that scum. In addition, another scum was stubbornly blocking her way. All these were happening because of the biggest scum up there, sitting on his throne and watching over.

 _That's it... I've had enough..._

Sheep then stood straight, her weapon vanished and replaced with another by a flicker of light.

 _ **Release...**_

 _ **Briste Insignia!**_

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Alright, it is time._

Ainz had been observing the battle between the Workers and Doppel-Nabe. His plan, which he had let Doppel-Nabe know too, was to release Rose from the [Crystal Prison] at the moment where it seemed Doppel-Nabe would finish the Workers off while Doppel-Momon was blocking Sheep from interfering. This would be done in a manner where it seemed Rose had broken from the crystal herself and saved them in the nick of time. Rose had agreed to play along with the plan, and Ainz knew that it would be a dramatic rescue, and it should be awesome. At least he hoped it would be.

However, things had just taken a very unexpected turn.

 **SLASH!**

 **THUD!**

 **SPLORCH!**

Ainz, and everyone else in the arena as well, couldn't believe what they had just seen. Doppel-Momon's right hand had been cut off and rolled on the ground. A large volume of blood spurted out from the cut off part.

"What the hell!?"

Ainz looked towards the scene to see what had just happened. The thing immediately presented to him was the sight of Sheep wielding a different weapon. This weapon seemed to be a katana, with a quite intimidating look in fact. Its blade was as black as Momon's armor, but there was a blood red line going through the length of the blade at its center. There was also some kind of dark blue energy constantly coiling around the blade like a snake on a tree branch. The hilt of the weapon seemed to be decorated with grey and black, but Ainz couldn't care about that any further.

Sheep herself was now enveloped in a very visible fiery aura of blood red color. Her face expression was generally straight, but her eyes clearly showed fury. The illusion spells on her had worn off somehow, fully revealing her horns and red left eye, which just now was leaking blood.

 **SLASH!**

 **SPLORCH!**

Without delay, Sheep zoomed past Doppel-Momon who was still staggered from the amputation and slashed Doppel-Nabe, beheading her completely **.**

" **Not on my watch, you scum"**

The lifeless body of Doppel-Nabe then fell flat on the ground and disintegrated into particles of light. Her death dispelled the restraining spell, freeing the Workers from it. They all then stood up, their face all showed fear.

Sheep then turned to face Doppel-Momon, who had collected himself and now stood in battle stance with only his left arm. As seconds went by, it was clearly visible that Sheep was beginning to bleed in more places even though she had not taken any damage. Now her nose and mouth started to leak blood as well.

Sheep immediately launched herself forward with her weapon pointed straight at Doppel-Momon, who tried to guard it with his sword.

 **CLANG!**

The impact was massive, but Doppel-Momon stood his ground. Sheep then jumped back a bit and immediately launched herself forward once again, but this time she slid to the side and passed Doppel-Momon while doing a flurry of quick slashes on the way. Not willing to give any room to breathe, Sheep stopped and jumped back to Doppel-Momon, this time at higher angle. Right at the moment she was above Doppel-Momon, Sheep pointed her weapon straight down and somehow changed her trajectory into a straight vertical dive. Doppel-Momon immediately jumped away to evade.

 **CRASH!**

 **BOOM!**

Even though she had missed, Sheep's weapon made an explosion upon contacting the ground. Doppel-Momon was thrown away quite a distance as the result. Immediately, Sheep jumped from her position and made a vertical spinning slash, even though the distance between her and Doppel-Momon was still too far for her katana to reach. The slash produced a dark energy bolt which was shot straight towards Doppel-Momon.

 **CLANK! CRACK!**

Doppel-Momon tried to block the energy bolt with his sword, but the bolt broke his sword in two and made a direct hit to his torso. The damage he took was significant.

 **SCHWING!**

Sheep did a somewhat slow one-handed downward slash with her right hand. Her position was still the same, so Doppel-Momon expected another energy bolt. But contrary to his expectation, what appeared next was a giant energy blade slashing down on him with the same motion as the slash Sheep had done.

 **SPLAT! BOOM!**

The impact made by the energy blade resulted in a massive explosion. When the dust settled, there was nothing on the impact zone other than a long hole, a pool of blood, and a few remnants of light particles scattering. Doppel-Momon was definitely dead.

 _I messed up big time._

It had never been in Ainz's plan to have both Doppelgangers killed in this scenario. He had failed to anticipate Sheep being strong enough to kill Doppel-Nabe instantly and slay Doppel-Momon just like that. The cost of resurrecting the two Doppelgangers later wouldn't be that expensive, but the fact remained that the treasury of Nazarick would have an unexpected expense thanks to his mistake.

Suddenly, before Ainz could think any further, Sheep's sinister katana flew straight at him. He had been too distracted in his own thoughts that he was late to notice the sudden attack.

 _Wha-?_

 **CLANG!**

A sound of metal clashing was heard right in front of Ainz. It had happened very quickly, but Ainz knew that someone, a Floor Guardian, had shielded him from the sudden attack. That Floor Guardian was none other than Shalltear Bloodfallen, fully equipped with her armor set and the Spuit Lance.

"Ainz-sama, are you all right!?"

"Uhh, y-yeah. I'm fine"

The katana which had been deflected disappeared with a flicker of light mid-air and reappeared in Sheep's hand. Shalltear and Sheep soon locked eye contact, and without a doubt Shalltear burst into rage.

"YOU LOWLIFE! HOW DARE YOU TO PUT AINZ SAMA IN HARM'S WAY! I WILL DRAIN YOUR LIFE AWAY SLOWLY, UNTIL YOU WISH YOU WERE DEAD!"

" **I'm already being drained and wishing so..."**

Sheep's answer was spoken in a straight, calm tone with a slight smile. She let out a small cough, which spurted out more blood in addition to her bleeding eyes and nose. Ainz wondered if that sinister katana drained her own life constantly, and perhaps her mind as well, in exchange of power. It was a possibility that the mind drain was the cause of her suddenly attacking Ainz, but the fact still remained that Ainz had been directly attacked, and no Floor Guardian would let that slide.

"Then I will gladly deny your wish!"

Shalltear immediately flew straight towards Sheep with her lance pointed straight forward. At the last second, Sheep blocked the attack with the scabbard of her katana.

 **CLINK! SCHWING!**

The attack was somehow completely blocked, and Sheep immediately countered with a single slash which Shalltear guarded.

 _What? That move..._

"You're quite something, but see if you can resist this"

[Vermilion Nova]

"No! Wait-!"

Ainz's words were too late. Shalltear had already casted the 9th-tier spell which created a huge pillar of flame right below Sheep's feet. A second later, Sheep was completely engulfed in the pillar of flame. The Workers at the far side of the arena could only watch in horror.

"Shalltear! Cancel that spell!"

"Huh? A-As you command, Ainz-sama"

Despite being confused, Shalltear obeyed and put the spell off earlier than its supposed duration. Still, the fact remained that the spell had taken effect, and nobody would survive the scorching heat without crippling injuries unless their strength was comparable to a Floor Guardian. Sheep, having been seemingly drained by her own weapon, probably would not survive. Ainz expected to see the worst once the dust settled.

 _Now I really ended up killing one of them. But she attacked me first, so that was to be expected. It was a self defense, no?_

Ainz was thinking of a reason to tell Rose in case she would lash out at him for killing Sheep, and that was the best answer he could come up with; A legitimate self defense.

However, when everyone gained visual on Sheep once more, what Ainz saw was something beyond any of his expectations.

Sheep was standing straight, having taken no harm at all from the spell, and being covered in an energy barrier Ainz was too familiar with.

 _The hell!? That's-_

The barrier around Sheep disappeared, and a familiar fish-like white monster appeared right above her. The fish monster then circled around, showering Sheep with energy and rejuvenating her. It was definitely a Photon Blast, the same one Ainz had seen back then when Meru had fought Cocytus.

 _Don't tell me that this demon-like person is an ARKS too! Why didn't Rose tell me so!?_

Shalltear had been there watching the battle back then, therefore she seemingly noticed the fact like Ainz did. She glanced at Ainz with confused look because she, like any other Floor Guardian, naturally knew that Nazarick had a mission to ally with ARKS. Therefore, her current situation would require a decision from Ainz to take further course of action.

But right now Ainz's mind was a total mess. He couldn't think of a quick decision, and before he could say any words, Sheep charged at Shalltear with her katana pointed forward. The next thing Ainz said was out of reflex instead of a calculated decision.

"Don't harm her! Just defend!"

Shalltear nodded, and she went into defensive as commanded. Ainz knew that Shalltear at her full power could easily withstand the attacks for a while, giving him some time to assess the situation. There was no guarantee that Sheep didn't have any stronger attack, though. Therefore Ainz had to come up with a decision fast.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

" _What the-? What is that weapon? What did she just do? None of her moves resembled any Photon Art of Braver class!"_

" _Calm down, Rose..."_

" _How can I possibly be calm? I need to go down there but that bonehead is so captivated by what's happening he forgot to release us from this crystal!"_

" _Right, but you should still calm down"_

" _Heh, alright. I take a deep breath... and now I'm... Not calm at all! Look! She just picked a fight with probably one of his strongest underlings! At this rate she will get killed!"_

" _C-Can you try breaking out of this?"_

" _How!?"_

" _That Martial Art, perhaps?"_

" _But how to use it if both of us are here not controlling the body?"_

Meru couldn't say anything, and Rose fully understood that. This kind of situation had never happened before. For some reason, the spell [Crystal Prison] which had been used for the purpose of drama had sent Rose's consciousness into the same place as Meru, and therefore now they had no idea how to make the body activate the Martial Art.

" _Let's try willing it together"_

" _Huh?"_

" _We will it, for the body to use the Martial Art"_

" _Eh... worth a try, I guess"_

Meru and Rose then held hand, closed their eyes, and concentrated their mind. They tried their hardest to imagine themselves activating the [Enhanced Magic Resistance] Martial Art, hoping that the body would follow suit and use it as well.

Suddenly, a vortex of light appeared right behind Rose and she was quickly sucked into it.

" _W-Wha-!"_

" _Rose!"_

The next thing Rose saw was the fact that she was back in control of the body, which was still unable to move inside the solid crystal. However, the body was emitting aura and some visible cracks could be noticed around the crystal.

" _Meru! You all right?"_

" _I'm fine. How about you, Rose?"_

" _I can't believe that it actually worked! I'm back in control, and the crystal is beginning to crack"_

" _That's good, Rose. Now hurry!"_

" _I know! That Photon Blast of her won't last any more seconds"_

Rose then focused the photons inside her body, concentrating her mind to use the Martial Art in its full power.

[Enhanced Magic Resistance]

 **Crack! Crack!**

 **CRASH!**

The crystal broke with a quite loud cracking sound, and Rose immediately jumped down into the arena. The thing which mattered the most for her right now was to somehow pull Sheep out from her seemingly berserk state, and then hope that Ainz would be merciful enough to let it slide. No matter how Rose dislike him, it was a fact that right now she and everyone else on the team were inside his domain. Being hostile was definitely not a good idea.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Ah shit, I just remembered that I forgot to release her from the crystal._

Ainz just realized more of his mistakes. He had been supposed to release Rose from the crystal some minutes ago, but the sudden development had distracted him away from it. Shalltear was already informed about the initially planned scenario and the roles of Rose, but since the situation had changed, Ainz spoke just to make sure.

"Shalltear. Do not harm her either"

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

 _I thought ARKS operatives are vulnerable against non-damaging spell effects. Did something happen while she was not in my sight?_

While [Crystal Prison] was not a top tier spell, it was still a spell of 7th tier. Back in YGGDRASIL, the spell would disable the target for a certain duration depending on the values of the caster's magic power and the target's magic resistance. In this world, that spell could last for a full day if the target didn't have magic resistance, so Ainz had never expected Rose to break out of it this soon.

 _Still, now that she's free, this might be a good thing._

Ainz then waited, seeing what Rose's next action would be. He could make a quick prediction that Rose would try to calm Sheep down and stop the fight, so he had quickly prepared a plan in mind to follow up with that. He just hoped that his prediction would be correct.

"Sheep!"

Rose called out to Sheep, and Sheep stopped her attacks on Shalltear. The photon beast which had been hovering over her and healing her disappeared with a flicker of light as she looked back to see Rose.

"Rose...?"

"Stop the fight, Sheep. It's already over!"

Without giving Sheep a chance to respond, Rose jumped to hug Sheep, who seemed to be caught by surprise from that action.

"R-Rose?"

"You are the first friend I have on this world. Please, I don't want to lose you!"

"Rose..."

As this was happening, Sheep started to bleed from her eyes and nose again. Ainz decided that he had to jump in immediately to stop Sheep from harming herself further. He quickly hovered down to the spot where they were located and immediately spoke.

"Sheep. I have no idea what your weapon is capable of, but I can clearly see that you are harming yourself as long as you are wielding it. I advise you to stop it if you are able. Have no fear, I will not harm you or your friends. None of us will."

Sheep looked at Ainz for a few seconds without saying anything. She then let out a small sigh and then her weapon disappeared with a flicker of light. She then pulled a bottle out of thin air and drank its contents. Ainz remembered Rose giving the same kind of bottle to Cocytus back then when they first met. As Ainz expected, a green light covered Sheep and healed her fully. Her nose was still leaking blood, though. But she just wiped it with her finger.

"This will stay for several hours, but I will be fine"

Ainz nodded, and then he looked at Shalltear.

"Shalltear, the battle is over. Put away your arms"

"As you command, Ainz-sama~"

Shalltear then instantly de-summoned her armor and Spuit Lance, reverting back to her normal lady-like appearance.

"Now, have your other friends gather here. I will give you my verdict"

Rose then glanced at the Workers and gave them a signal to come over. They hesitated for a moment, but in the end they nodded to each other and approached. Now that they were all right in front of Ainz, he began speaking once again.

"I will get straight to the point. You are free to go. No strings attached"

The Workers and Sheep seemed to be surprised by the words Ainz had said. It took some amount of seconds for them to let it sink in, but they eventually displayed their joy with their face expression. The man who had spoken to Ainz before stepped forward and spoke to him again.

"We humbly thank you for your merciful heart, Ainz-sama"

He said those words while bowing in respect. Ainz couldn't care less about that, but the appreciation felt somewhat nice regardless.

"But before I let you leave, there are a few questions I would like to ask"

"We will gladly answer your questions the best of our ability"

Ainz looked at Sheep after Hekkeran spoke his consent.

"Sheep, I can't help but noticing the way you fought. Tell me, are you an ARKS operative?"

Sheep couldn't hide her reaction. She was definitely surprised hearing the question. The same applied to the Workers.

"Y-Yes, but how did you know about ARKS?"

"Some time ago, I met a stranded and confused ARKS operative like you. I gave him food and shelter for a while, and we talked about a lot of things. I still keep in touch with him, which is important since we have had a few run-ins with Darkers and a Dark Falz"

"What!?"

Rose was surprised hearing what Ainz had just said, and Ainz had no idea why. Sheep seemed to have the same reaction, but to a lesser degree. Rose then immediately stepped forward and spoke her question.

"You fought Darkers?"

"Yes, and I could use more helping hands from ARKS"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Hmm?"

"If you've told me earlier that you're fighting Darkers, I would've helped you without question instead of running off all the way to the Empire!"

"When we first met, we haven't encountered Darkers yet, unfortunately"

"Oh, I see"

Rose's behavior just now raised a question in Ainz's mind, and therefore he asked a question immediately.

"Is ARKS like that as a whole? Would they ally with me if I simply say I'm fighting Darkers?"

"Exterminating Darkers and fighting off Dark Falz is the purpose of our existence! Why would we refuse to ally with someone on the same page?"

 _Seriously? It's just that easy? Have I been worrying over nothing all this time?_

"Umm... May I ask a question?"

Sheep asked while looking nervous. Her behavior right now was so different than herself a few minutes ago, it felt somewhat strange for Ainz.

"Alright, but do tell me your real name after I answer your question. I assume 'Sheep' is an alias, isn't it?"

"Is the ARKS operative you told us about... Ryu Seika?"

"That is correct. You know him?"

"He is my brother"

"I see- Eh...?"

 _W-WHAT? D-Did she just say-?_

"My real name is Hikaru Seika"

 _THE HELL!?_

What Ainz had just heard was completely out of his expectations, his mouth went agape. Even Shalltear next to him couldn't hide her surprise either. Nobody would have thought that this person who had inhuman features, namely the horns and the red eye, was the sister of Ryu, a completely human person.

However, Ainz still believed that he had to keep calm. Despite what Rose had said, it was still important to never show any sign of weakness. The possibility still existed that Rose herself was too naive in her view towards ARKS. This possibility was strengthened because Ainz had noticed Sheep's face expression showing a somewhat snarky smile while averting her eyes, an expression which basically said _"Heh, she doesn't know",_ which Ainz fully agreed with. All big organizations are very likely to have dark secrets hidden within after all.

Nevertheless, now the fact had been presented to Ainz that Ryu's sister was here as well. He wanted to ask for more details, but now there were locals present and Ainz believed it would be unnecessary for them to know all the info. Therefore, Ainz decided to send them off for now and invite all three ARKS operatives for a more private meeting later.

"I see. In any case, I will send you all back to the entrance. Look for a city named E-Rantel to find Ryu"

"We planned to go there after this supposed expedition quest"

Rose spoke those words and then she looked at the Workers. They all nodded, agreeing with her.

"Good to hear. Off you go, then. May we meet again under better circumstances"

[Gate]

A familiar dark vortex appeared, and the six outsiders walked into it after bowing to Ainz. After they all entered, Ainz dispelled the portal and let out a sigh from his skeletal mouth. Too many things had derailed from the original plan, and the mental exhaustion had finally caught up to him.

"I need a break..."

"O-Of course, Ainz-sama!"

Shalltear then put herself down into the exact same position she had been in back then when Ainz had used her as a chair. Ainz immediately realized that he had made a mistake blurting out those words, which Shalltear had misinterpreted.

 _I don't want to sit on her again, there's no reason to do it this time!_

Despite thinking that, Ainz also felt that it would not feel good if he refused the offer which Shalltear had made sincerely. He was now in a conundrum between enduring another shame, or risking making Shalltear sad.

 _Sigh..._

Ainz chose the former, sitting down on the weirdest chair he had ever sat on.

"I will only take a couple minutes. Sorry about this"

"D-Don't worry, Ainz-sama! The pleasure is all mine!"

Ainz didn't want to look at Shalltear's face right now, because he knew that she was wearing the same face as back then, and he didn't want to get weirded out again from seeing that face.

 _There are a lot of things I need to do after this..._

Ainz sighed again, not knowing that deep down in the Throne Room of Nazarick, Albedo was furiously biting her handkerchief to shredded pieces after seeing through the monitors, the pleasure Shalltear had gotten again.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Well, to be frank, I planned this chapter to cover a bit of progress for Ryu's side of the story as well, but the word count has already become too high for comfort, so I decided to leave that for the later chapter.**

 **So, yeah. In this story, everyone from Foresight Team lives thanks to Hekkeran unknowingly pulling Ainz's heartstrings in a good way. Most of other Workers survive too as the byproduct of the same event. Ainz got something too, having pretty much secured two more ARKS operatives to be his allies against Darkers. An essentially win-win outcome.**

 **Next chapter will mainly cover Ryu's side of the arc. And before I forget, I'd like to say thanks to the guests who had recently posted quite lengthy comments. You have no idea how pleased I was seeing more people other than the regulars.**

 **See you again later.**


	56. Chapter 50: Fatalities of Battle

**Hello again, everyone. It's time for Chapter 50, and as a little celebration , the length of this chapter is about 50% longer than average chapter. Better grab some drinks before you begin.**

 **Here we go. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

The portal provided by Ainz brought the Foresight team right in front of the door which belonged to the central mausoleum of the tomb. Everyone in the team knew about this place since they had entered the tomb through this door after all. There were no hostiles around, and the path to the exit was clear. Feeling relatively safe, the Foresight members felt their fatigue catching up to them, both physically and mentally. They felt that their legs could give in anytime soon, and resting right there and then would not be a bad idea.

 **THUD!**

But to their surprise, someone beat them to it, and not in a good way.

"Sheep!"

Sheep fell down to the floor, Rose barely managed to catch her before her face hit the hard floor. In that instant, everyone forgot about their own fatigue and went to assist her. Within seconds, a makeshift bed was made from their luggage and Sheep was put there. Blood was flowing from her nose, and she had a pretty high fever. Thankfully, she was still awake.

"Heh... it seems... I overdid it..."

Sheep was still smiling as she said it, though her heavy breathing clearly indicated that her condition was far from good.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

Hekkeran asked out of genuine concern. Sheep had just once again saved the lives of the entire team, and unlike before, this time her action had taken a toll from her well-being. He had to make sure that Sheep would survive, because he would never want to live knowing that someone had exchanged her life for his. Nobody in the team would.

"Don't worry... I just need rest... Nothing more..."

"Alright, but not here. We should move"

Everyone in the team were a bit surprised by Rose's suggestion.

"We never know how long this place will be clear of hostiles"

Hekkeran gave her words a quick thought, and he concluded that he agreed with it. Right now there were no hostiles, probably thanks to Ainz. But nobody in the group could know for sure how long his generosity of keeping this place clear would last. By all chances, he might put more undead guards here later for protection against future intruders.

"Right. Rober, could you give Sheep a lift?"

"Sure, leader"

With the help of the other members, Sheep was put on Roberdyck's back for him to carry. The group then quickly took their luggage and began walking away from the mausoleum.

"Sorry about this..."

"We are the ones who should be sorry for having forced you to overexert yourself, Sheep. If only we were stronger..."

Roberdyck spoke those words with an upset expression. He was upset over his weakness, and the same could apply to the rest of the team.

"You saved our lives again, Sheep. I have no idea how we could ever possibly repay you"

Hekkeran spoke, genuinely having no idea. He felt that he ought to repay it somehow, but this time the save was on an unfathomably larger scale than before.

"You don't... have to..."

Hekkeran somewhat expected that answer, but it still wouldn't feel right for him and the rest of the team. His mind was in limbo between being grateful that Sheep didn't demand anything in return and being guilt-ridden for the same reason.

Not knowing what to say, and in order to give Sheep some needed rest, nobody said anything further and they kept walking until they reached the camp. The adventurers on duty in guarding the camp at the time noticed them coming and stood up.

"Ah, you have returned"

The whole team couldn't help reacting in a strange way as if they encountered an enemy, because the adventurers were Momon and Nabe, the real ones.

"Huh? What's wrong? I don't see any enemies around here"

The entire team let out a sigh of relief.

"We will let you know later, but for now we need to go back to our tent. One of us needs rest"

"Alright"

After Momon approved, the team went to their tent and gently put Sheep down on the bedding inside. She was now sound asleep, but blood kept flowing from her nose without any sign of stopping. Arche gently wiped the blood with clean cloth, and then she quickly made a stuffing from another cloth which she then put into the bleeding nose.

"You guys keep watch on her. I will go report our findings to Momon"

In truth, none of the Workers taking this job was in any obligation to report to the Adventurer escorts. Hekkeran just thought that a powerful threat like Ainz needed to be reported to pretty much the only one who could stand a chance against him. Hekkeran wouldn't be able to forgive himself if someday a calamity which could have been avoided happened because he was withholding information.

"I will go with you. She won't need this many people in this small space"

Imina stood up and followed Hekkeran. The two of them left the tent and approached Momon, who was sitting in front of the burning campfire alongside Nabe. To their surprise, there was another man sitting with them this time. Hekkeran immediately called in joy.

"Gringham! You're safe!"

"Aye, lad. Thou hath no idea what horrors I hath faced down there"

"Right back at you"

Hekkeran and Imina then sat alongside the three. The warmth of the campfire felt really comforting after all the adventure they had had inside the cold ruins.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Back in the throne room of Nazarick, Ainz had just returned from the Amphitheater. Albedo stood by next to the throne, waiting for Ainz to take his rightful seat. Without saying a word, Ainz sat down on the throne and let out a small sigh.

"Things didn't go according to plan on my end, but I'm glad it still went well. Anything to report, Albedo?"

"Hamsuke has successfully slain the man from that group, and as the result the three elven slaves he brought along have been freed from his control. She is now awaiting orders whether the unwilling slaves should be eliminated or not"

"Elves, huh...?"

Ainz gave a little bit of thought, and then he came into a decision.

"Aura and Mare could use some company from fellow elves. Send the former slaves to the twins"

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

"Huh, is there someone else around?"

Ainz noticed that just now Albedo didn't address him with his old name even though she had been given full permission to do so when they were alone. While he wasn't really comfortable with it, it was a privilege he had given in order to atone for his irreversible mistake. So when she didn't address him with his old name, he couldn't help questioning it.

"There was nobody other than us, Ainz-sama. Not even the stealth sentries"

"I'm just wondering, why are you still addressing me with my current name?"

"I realized that addressing Ainz-sama with your old name distracts my mind and causes me to lose focus, so I have made the decision not to use the privilege during important times like now. My apologies if this was not to your liking. If it is so, I will correct my mistake immediately"

Ainz couldn't help being astonished by Albedo's work attitude. What she just said convinced Ainz that she truly deserved to bear the title of Guardian Overseer.

"No, Albedo. You are right. This is an important matter, and therefore we must not lose focus. Nevertheless, what about the other group?"

Albedo smiled and bowed hearing Ainz's approval, and then she immediately gave her answer.

"Everything went according to plan. That group had no casualties, and they had been sent back to the surface ten minutes earlier than the group Ainz-sama personally attended to"

"I see. It seems the twins and Cocytus played their role well over there, while on my end everything fell apart and we are going to have extra expenses thanks to my mistake"

Albedo seemed to be concerned about Ainz blaming himself, so she quickly tried to reassure Ainz.

"It was an unexpected turn of events, Ainz-sama. In fact, I was impressed on how Ainz-sama had responded"

"Hmm, is that so?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama. In the end, the result was the same as planned and I believe it was still a win for Nazarick. I personally believe that the extra expense is still well worth the result, Ainz-sama"

"I see. Thank you for easing my mind, Albedo"

Albedo showed a reaction for a brief moment, but she quickly reverted back into her calm self.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ainz-sama"

Ainz leaned back on his throne, his body settling into a slightly slouching position. He allowed himself a moment to reminisce of the good old days, back when the newly formed guild of Ainz Ooal Gown was awarded the World Item [Throne of Kings] he now sat on for completing the Great Tomb of Nazarick in one go. The events were essentially over for today, and he could rest for a bit. Now that he had nothing to do, his mind began drifting to various things again.

 _I wonder what Ryu's team is doing now. Well, it's night so they are probably sound asleep now. I'll try contacting him once morning comes. Come to think of it, it's been a while since the Kashin Koji spy inside Lily last contacted me. Perhaps it's time to extract him again for report, but I have to be prepared for the fact that inserting him again without her knowing might be impossible. Hell, even extracting him will be difficult without using expensive spells this time. Her evolution bites me back in this aspect._

 **BEEP! BEEP!**

Suddenly, a notification of [Message] was heard. Ainz picked it up immediately.

"Ainz-sama"

 _Speak of the devil._

"Kashin Koji. Is there something urgent to report?"

"A new Dark Falz has appeared"

"...What?"

Ainz's reaction to the information was similar to the reaction he had showed back then when he had been informed about Shalltear going rogue. This was mainly because his mental fatigue had caught up to him that he couldn't quickly process the new information he had just been informed about. Perhaps it was also his subconscious trying to deny this news, because he already had enough problems to deal with already.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **A Few Hours Earlier. The Western Ocean.**

" **SKREEEEEEE!"**

The Sea Dragon's roar was deafening and pierced through the spines of those who heard it, sending chills all over. No one knew whether it was some kind of magic embedded in the roar, or just simply their fear kicking in. Nevertheless, it was no question that every man onboard the command ship, which was right in front of the Sea Dragon, were in a state of panic. Their preparations and weaponry were not for an encounter at a very close distance like this.

Ryu's group was floating on a distance away from the command ship because they were on their way to assist the left forward ship which was under attack by merfolk combatants. Now Ryu was in quite a panic state, unable to decide whether his group should immediately return to the command ship, continue their trip to assist the left forward ship, or split up and try to do both.

"Ryu-san. What do you want us to do?"

"Uhhh... Liz, Lily, assist the forward ship. I will return to the command ship"

Ryu's decision was made without much thinking. He just thought that Lily and Alice could sweep through the hostiles relatively easily while they could protect each other if needed. Also, he didn't want Alice, a local of this planet who was the weakest among the group, to face the Sea Dragon. Therefore he came up with this arrangement.

"Alright, Ryu-san!"

"Be careful out there, Ryu-san"

"You too"

The group then split up, with Ryu trying to fly back as fast as he could. He actually could just blast the Sea Dragon with full power Photon Techs, but he might end up hitting the command ship as well. Moreover, there was one thing he had just noticed about the Sea Dragon.

It was not infected.

Ryu had just quickly scanned the Sea Dragon, and the result clearly said that the Darker Factor level of the Sea Dragon was zero. That meant, the Sea Dragon was fully conscious about its actions. If the Sea Dragon had never been infected, then there should have been a certain reason for the recent change in its behavior. Seeing that there were actual infected hostiles nearby, Ryu could come to a guess. However, he was worried the soldiers onboard the command ship didn't think the same, so he had to go back quickly.

"Captain, sir!"

Ryu quickly approached the captain once he arrived back at the command ship. The captain was standing straight, watching his men move into formation on the deck with all their weapons in hand. His face didn't show fear, either because he was truly a brave one, or he was good at hiding his fear.

"Ah, Ryu-dono! Glad you returned! Now please assist us in this battle"

"Tell your men to hold their fire"

"They won't fire unless I say so, but we could use some explanation"

"I scanned the Sea Dragon on my way back here, and it is not infected. Considering that there are infected merfolks out there, I think that all this time the Sea Dragon has been trying to tell the ships to get away before the infected merfolks notice them and attack"

"I don't want to doubt an Adamantite Rank, but are you sure?"

"Honestly, no. But look, we have been talking like this, and the Sea Dragon has not done anything to this ship other than roaring once"

The captain folded his arms, thinking for a brief moment.

"You have a point there, but it still doesn't give answers about the sunk ships"

Ryu couldn't answer that remark. It was indeed known that the sunk ships had likely been destroyed by a large creature, and the only large creature acting somewhat hostile recently was the Sea Dragon, which right now was staying still right next to the command ship.

" **SKREEEEEEE!"**

The Sea Dragon roared again, making every men onboard covered their ears. Right after that, a mound of water emerged near the other side of the command ship, which tilted towards the Sea Dragon as the result. Ryu, who was still floating with the [Fly] spell, easily stayed in place, but the other men onboard had a hard time keeping their balance.

Thankfully, the ship didn't get flipped over. Once the ship got back to its upright position, everyone could finally see what creature had emerged from the water.

"A Kraken! But I don't remember any Kraken this big!"

The captain shouted his remark, while Ryu could only utter a short sentence.

"Oh no..."

Ryu couldn't think of anything other than bad things after seeing what he saw. The Kraken itself was a gigantic octopus, about the same size as the Sea Dragon, maybe even slightly bigger. But what had put Ryu into full alert was the thing on the forehead of the Kraken. It was a strange, white glowing thing which looked like a skeletal hand emerging right from under the skin. Its size was large enough to cover a large part of the Kraken's forehead, so it was easily noticeable.

Ryu knew that thing very well. It was a Darker Corruption Core on its highest stage, signifying that the Kraken was corrupted beyond saving and also strengthened to the maximum potential. As far as his experience could tell, any creature with maximum level of Corruption Core was at least as strong as Darkers of tier SH, the highest tier of difficulty known to ARKS. Having a Max Darker Core on such a large creature was definitely bad news.

" **GURUROOOOOOW!"**

The Kraken let out a roar as loud as the Sea Dragon's, and it flailed its tentacles on the water, creating huge splashes all over. The waves created by the action shook the command ship, once again causing the men onboard to lose balance.

" **SKREEEEEEE!"**

The Sea Dragon roared in response to the Kraken's roar. It was clear to Ryu that the two large creatures were about to fight, and now the command ship was positioned right between the two. At this rate it would get sandwiched by the colossal creatures.

"Run away"

"What?"

The captain, not knowing any information about Darker Core, could only ask in confusion.

"The Sea Dragon and The Kraken are about to fight! This ship will get crushed if it stays here!"

Ryu didn't know if his assumption was true, but seeing the strong implication, Ryu decided to assume the worst for the time being. The captain, noticing the horror implied in Ryu's words, nodded and shouted a command.

" **Full speed ahead!"**

Complying with the command, the men immediately moved into action. The sails were spread wide and the many oars below moved to row the ship forward. Ryu, thinking that the ship could use some extra boost, flew to the spot right behind the sails and charged a Photon Tech on his weapon.

 _Nazan!_

 **WHOOSH!**

A strong gust of wind came out from Ryu's weapon, forcefully blowing the sails of the command ship with an enormous gale. The sails bloated forward, accelerating the ship's forward momentum. Unfortunately, the boost had an adverse effect. The wind gust was so strong that some of the sails ripped. Ryu was worried that he had made a mistake, but nevertheless the ship had accelerated enough to get clear from the spot which would very soon become a battle zone, and that was a relief.

Ryu returned to the captain who was instructing his men to stand by and keep themselves prepared for battle. Ryu believed that none of them would stand any chance against the infected Kraken, so he wanted to tell the captain to retreat. It might feel like a spit to the face for their resolve, but he believed it had to be done.

"Captain, I must tell you and your men to escape from this area"

"But this battle is what we came here for! We now know that the real culprit is the Kraken, and we will fight!"

"You're risking the lives of so many men, captain sir!"

"All of us are trained to risk our lives for the Kingdom, and that's what we will do"

Ryu could only let out a sigh hearing the captain's response. It seemed that they really had the resolve to fight no matter the odds.

"Just, don't attack recklessly, alright?"

Without waiting for response, Ryu flew away towards a spot nearby the Sea Dragon, keeping his distance from the Kraken. He knew that having a Max Darker Core meant the Kraken would likely deal fatal damage to him easily. He couldn't afford to get hit even a single time, and there was another thing he had to be very wary of.

 **SCHWING!**

"There it is!"

As Ryu had been expecting, the Darker Core on the Kraken's forehead launched an energy bolt straight towards Ryu. Thanks to the sufficient distance, he had enough reaction time to evade. The bolt hit the water behind him and caused a small explosion, still large enough to punch a hole on any ship it could have hit. This was one of the threats possessed by a Max Darker Core; random small shots.

Ryu looked at the Sea Dragon, which seemed to glance back at him. Strangely, it seemed to understand Ryu's intention to fight as its ally against the Kraken, because it nodded slightly.

Ryu then repositioned himself behind and above the Sea Dragon, keeping himself at a relatively safe distance from the Kraken.

 _Shifta!_

 _Deband!_

Ryu casted the two buff Techs he had, empowering himself and the Sea Dragon. The Sea Dragon then immediately opened its mouth wide and seemingly gathering power from within. The Kraken raised one of its tentacles, apparently trying to strike. But the Sea Dragon was faster, shooting a compressed stream of water from its mouth.

" **GUROOOOW!"**

The water stream struck the Darker Core directly, staggering the Kraken and stopping it from striking. Its roar was likely a roar out of pain.

"Be careful!"

Ryu shouted, even though he was not sure if the Sea Dragon would understand him. Thankfully, nothing dangerous happened yet. The Sea Dragon then ended its attack, while the Kraken was still reeling from the apparent pain.

"Ryu-san!"

Suddenly, Ryu heard a familiar voice. Ryu looked and indeed it was Lily flying straight to him, with Alice right behind. Once they both arrived, it was easy to notice that Lily was quite soaked in blood, probably from the merfolks she had slayed just recently.

"We took care of the hostile merfolks. Well, to be exact, she sliced off most of them by herself. Anyway, I presume the Sea Dragon is our ally and the real enemy is that Kraken, isn't it?"

"Yes. That strange thing on its head is a Darker Core. It is a weak point, but it can attack independently. Be careful"

While speaking, Ryu took a glance at the horizon to the west. The sun was barely visible and the sky was getting dark. Soon, the battlefield would become a complete darkness and that might be a major disadvantage for his team. Lily, whose helmet had night vision as one of the many enchantments within, wouldn't have such problem though.

"Liz, you have night vision spell? The two of us might need that soon"

"Yeah, I see that"

[Night Eye]

Alice immediately casted a spell on Ryu and herself. Ryu felt the effect immediately, suddenly being able to see the surroundings at higher brightness.

"It only lasts for half an hour, so remind me to reapply it every so often. Anyway, what's our battle strategy?"

"Focus on destroying the Darker Core on its head. If it's destroyed, the Kraken will die along with it"

 **SCHWING!**

"Watch out!"

Lily put herself right in front of Alice, who was the target of the Darker Core's energy bolt shot just now, and put her magic shield up with her left hand. The bolt hit her shield head-on, pushing her back a bit, but she was generally unharmed.

"Woah, thanks"

"Liz, taking a single hit from any attack is probably fatal for you. Keep your distance as far as possible from the Kraken, and watch for that random bolt"

"Alright. I will support you two from behind"

"Liz, Lily... be careful"

After Ryu said his words with a determined tone, all three of the group nodded to each other. The Sea Dragon below them let out a growl while glancing at them, seemingly saying that it understood their intentions. At the same time, the Kraken had recovered from the pain caused by the Sea Dragon's attack before, and it was now ready for battle again.

 **WHOOSH!**

The three of the group flew to different directions. Lily flew straight towards the Kraken, Alice towards the Sea Dragon's head, and Ryu following Lily but at higher altitude. Lily stopped right in front of the Kraken's face and her body let out a red aura.

[Battle Taunt]

[Intimidate]

" **Your opponent is me!"**

Lily shouted at the Kraken with an intimidating pose which seemed to draw the attention of the Kraken as it immediately flailed with one tentacle in an attempt to strike Lily, but she gracefully evaded and followed up with a counter attack.

[Shield Toss]

Lily materialized her shield with her right gauntlet and threw it straight at the Darker Core with incredible speed. One could say that the shield flew twice as fast as an arrow.

 **SMACK!**

The shield struck the Darker Core cleanly and vanished into thin air, but it immediately reappeared on Lily's left gauntlet. Ryu had no idea what Lily had just done, but he just assumed that those had been some skills she had gained when she had evolved back then. Ryu soon realized that it was no time for him to watch in awe. He had to attack as well.

 _Zonde!_

Ryu casted a Photon Tech which made a single lightning strike right above the Darker Core. The lightning hit the core directly and it should have dealt damage. However, Ryu couldn't measure how much damage the core could withstand in total since it shared vitality with the Kraken and he had never fought a Kraken before.

 _I must try to deal big damage._

Ryu then charged photon into his weapon, aimed at the Darker Core, and began casting a Photon Tech he had once used to deliver significant damage way back then during his first days on this planet.

 _Ilbarta!_

 _Ilbarta!_

 _Ilbarta!_

Ilbarta was a Photon Tech which would mark the target with a blue sigil and increase its power with repeated hits to the marked target, doubling its power and sigil brightness starting from the fourth hit, and finally dealing its peak damage on the seventh hit, which would then reset the sigil to the starting state. The sigil's lifetime was only five seconds, but each hit would refresh the lifetime.

 _Ilbarta!_

 _Ilbarta!_

Ryu had done five hits with Ilbarta on the Darker Core. Just two more hits were needed to complete the whole package.

 _Ilbarta!_

On the sixth hit, the Darker Core generated a ball of energy and threw it at Ryu. It was slower than the random energy bolt and also arching instead of straight, but Ryu knew very well that the ball was dangerous. He easily evaded by maneuvering his flight, and the ball fell down to the sea, creating quite a big explosion upon touching the water. This was another threat possessed by Max Darker Core; retaliation bomb.

 _Ilbarta!_

Ryu casted the finisher hit of the Photon Tech, and a large explosion of ice occurred at the Darker Core.

" **GUROOOW!"**

The Kraken reeled in pain again, flailing its tentacles on every direction. At the same time, the Sea Dragon which seemingly had been preparing another attack opened its mouth and once again shot a jet stream of water at the Kraken. Not only that, this time the water around the Sea Dragon was launched straight at the Kraken as a swarm of small projectiles. This would have hit Lily as well, but she had positioned herself in a way that she was shielded by the Kraken's body.

It was apparent that the Kraken was losing the battle. The cooperation of Ryu's team and the Sea Dragon had pushed it into the corner. All they needed to win the battle was to deliver the finishing blow.

 **THWACK!**

 **BOOM!**

Suddenly a large steel bolt punctured the Kraken and exploded, opening a large burning hole on its side. Immediately, more bolts rained down on it, along with regular arrows. Ryu looked at the source of those projectiles and saw that all four ships were lined up in a broadside formation, unleashing all they got via bows and ballistas towards the Kraken. Cheers from the soldiers could be heard in the distance, seemingly announcing that they, the usually disregarded humans, were not to be taken lightly.

However, this was the part where the allied forces were at their highest, and what went up must eventually go down.

The barrage of attacks from the warships triggered multiples of retaliation bombs from the Darker Core. Numerous energy balls were thrown from the Darker Core towards all four of the warships.

"No, no, no, **NO!"**

 **CRASH! BOOM!**

The ships were unable to evade the bombs, and all of them were obliterated within an instant. There were nothing left other than shredded pieces of the shipwreck and lifeless bodies afloat, drifting by the sea current. The Kraken then submerged into the sea, and soon a gigantic whirlpool was created in the middle of the shipwrecks, with the Kraken appearing right at its center.

" **GURUROOOOW!"**

The Kraken roared, flailing its tentacles around hitting all the debris and dead bodies. Even if anyone had survived the bombs, nobody had any hope of surviving the whirlpool of slaughter. Sometimes, several wisps of light appeared from a spot the Kraken had just smashed and floated towards the Darker Core which absorbed them, healing the Kraken. This was the last threat of Max Darker Core; granting lifesteal attack to the infectee. This meant whenever a wisp of light appeared, the Kraken had just hit and killed a survivor.

While all these were happening, Ryu just stood still with his hands on his head and horrified expression, his mind and body freezing up after witnessing the demise of all the soldiers. Lily couldn't take further action without a command from Ryu, and Alice knew she would just add herself as casualty if she tried anything against the Kraken. Therefore, all three members of the group were pretty much frozen still at the bleak situation.

"Urgh..."

 **Clap!**

After grunting briefly, Alice did a single hard clap of her hands right in front of Ryu's face. The sudden loud sound was effective in giving Ryu a shock, seeing that he twitched with a surprised expression as a response.

"I know that you are horrified by the sight, but we don't have time to either grieve or be frozen still! If the Kraken isn't stopped here and now, more lives will be lost! Not just the soldiers and the merfolks!"

Ryu didn't respond to Alice's angry words for a few seconds, but that few seconds had been all he needed to process his thoughts and recover from his state, though not completely.

"O-Okay, you're right. But to be honest, that Kraken is astoundingly tough thanks to the Darker Core. I don't know how much power is needed to take it down, and whether I have that much power to begin with"

"Then I suggest we retreat and inform the people on land, and perhaps request help from Lily's father. But do you have something different in mind?"

Ryu tapped his finger on his forehead, his expression clearly indicating that he was trying to come up with something as fast as he could.

"Okay okay, let's do it like this. I do one big final attack, and if the Kraken still survives we go with your suggestion"

"Alright, but what attack do you have in mind?"

"I have one Photon Tech which I haven't used for a long time. The thing is, I can't move around while charging it. Can I trust you two to cover me?"

"Leave it to me, Ryu-san!"

"Alright. I will do what I can"

After Alice and Lily nodded in approval, Ryu looked at the Sea Dragon which had been staying near them and watching the Kraken with cautious eyes. Ryu wanted to make sure about something before beginning his attack, therefore he spoke to the Sea Dragon.

"Uhh, I don't know if you can understand me, but if you have an ultimate attack or such, please help us and use it against the Kraken. A lot of lives are at stake if the Kraken isn't stopped here and now, and we need all the help we can get. Please help us!"

Ryu bowed as he said the last sentence. The Sea Dragon looked at him for a few seconds, and then its head made a nodding gesture with a slight growl. Ryu felt a bit delighted seeing this.

"Thank you"

After saying it, Ryu then turned around to face the Kraken at a distance, which was still flailing at unfortunate survivors and shipwreck debris to heal itself with the lifesteal trait from the Darker Core. Without further delay, Ryu raised his altitude to be higher than the Sea Dragon was tall, and began charging the Photon Tech. The Sea Dragon also began doing something which seemed like charging up energy, but this time its whole body began radiating blue aura which gradually grew brighter.

The Photon Tech Ryu was charging up was actually not among the best Photon Techs in ARKS because while powerful, the long charge time made it impractical. The mysterious boost from this planet had a somewhat unique effect to this particular Photon Tech, in which the tech now could be charged continuously and it would keep increasing its power and draining Ryu's photon energy reserve until casted. During the days he had been training in Nazarick, Ryu had tried charging it to the maximum charge he could afford, but he had cancelled himself from casting it in fear of causing too much damage to the arena structures.

In order to reach the full charge, Ryu would need three full minutes, during which he would be a sitting duck for the Kraken to attack and interrupt his charging. This was the main reason he had asked Lily and Alice to protect him during this time of vulnerability.

The Kraken, seemingly noticing what Ryu and the Sea Dragon was doing, grabbed some large pieces of debris with its tentacles and threw it at them. Lily immediately moved to intercept one large piece of debris, putting herself right between Ryu and the debris piece.

[Fortification]

Lily's body let out a green glow as she raised her magic shield in front of her. Ryu once again wondered if what she was doing was another ability she had obtained from her evolution. Nevertheless, Lily braced herself for the impact which soon came.

 **CLANK!**

Lily blocked the debris piece head on and deflected it away to the side, successfully keeping both Ryu and the Sea Dragon safe from harm.

[Lightweight] [Magic Arrow]

Meanwhile, Alice used two spells on a different piece, interrupting its flight and making it fall down to the water without hitting either Ryu or the Sea Dragon. The Kraken, seeing its failed attempt, threw more debris pieces furiously.

Noticing the coming danger, Lily put her shield away, unsheathed her other sword, and changed her grip into backhand grip.

"Raging Waltz!"

Lily activated a Photon Art which launched her body straight at her target and made her do an upward slash at it. The debris piece was slashed cleanly in two and fell down to the waters below.

"Raging Waltz! Raging Waltz! Raging Waltz!"

With incredible speed, Lily moved from one debris piece to another, slicing them all in half and making them fell harmlessly to the waters below.

[Lesser Rejuvenate Stamina]

Alice, seemingly assuming that Lily had spent a great deal of stamina from the repeated use of Photon Art, casted a spell at Lily, which would recover a small portion of Lily's stamina.

[Fireball]

Alice also casted an offensive spell at a debris piece Lily had missed. Both her and Lily was trying their best to protect Ryu and the Sea Dragon while they were charging their attack.

" **SKREEEEEEE!"**

The Sea Dragon suddenly roared, which surprised Lily and Alice. Ryu was surprised as well, but he had to maintain his concentration on charging the Photon Tech, so he held himself unflinching as best as he could. Lily and Alice glanced at the Sea Dragon, which was now glowing bright blue with a fiery aura of the same color.

"Liz-san! Let's move out of the way!"

"Yeah, I see that!"

Both Lily and Alice could conclude that the Sea Dragon had finished charging its ultimate attack, and the roar was its way to tell them to move away from the line of fire. As soon as they flew away from their position, a strange voice could be heard from the Sea Dragon.

" _ **Gunehdr Te' Xisy'tu"**_

Immediately, a tsunami as tall as the Sea Dragon emerged from its front in a way that would violate common sense. The tsunami advanced quickly towards the Kraken, growing bigger and taller as it moved to the point that none of the team could even see the Kraken anymore. The tsunami then violently collapsed onto the Kraken's posiition, engulfing it along with the whirlpool, and creating a gargantuan, explosive splash. Within seconds, a different whirlpool appeared, with double the size of the previous. It dragged the Kraken round-and-round like a washing machine until it was swallowed whole at the center. Just less than five seconds later, a huge pillar of water shot up from the center of the whirlpool, with the water pillar launching the Kraken so high into the sky, that it could probably reach the clouds.

" **GURUROOOOW!"**

The Kraken's wailing cry could be heard as it fell back down into the center of the whirlpool and disappeared from sight.

 **BOOM!**

Instead of splashing sound, the sound which was heard from the spot was a loud thud of a heavy object hitting solid ground. Everyone on the team had the same question popping up in their mind, questioning whether the eye of that giant whirlpool reached all the way to the bottom of the sea for real.

The Sea Dragon, who just now had lost its body glow, looked at Ryu and opened its mouth.

" **Now... Attack..."**

All three of the team were quite surprised hearing the Sea Dragon speaking a relatively coherent sentence, but Ryu still understood what it wanted and unleashed the Photon Tech he had been charging up.

"ILFOIE!"

Ryu raised his weapon pointing upwards, and suddenly the sky became bright as if it was day. Everyone other than Ryu himself looked above and saw what had just caused the brightness.

Ryu's Photon Tech summoned a fiery meteor as big as a noble's mansion. It fell down vertically straight into the eye of the whirlpool.

 **BWOOOOOOM!**

An enormous explosion occurred directly on the Kraken's location, creating a massive mushroom cloud of fire, steam, and light. One could say that the explosion was like a nuclear bomb going off, if they were familiar with the concept.

" **SKREEEEEEE!"**

The Sea Dragon roared once again, and the waters around the outer edge of the whirlpool rose up, creating a tall wall of water around the ground zero. The water wall contained the explosion, preventing further damage to the environment.

After a few minutes, the water walls came down and disappeared, leaving only calm waters as if nothing had ever happened.

"Is it over?"

Ryu asked with a rather heavy breath. His photon energy reserve had already regenerated back, but his body stamina was already near the point of total exhaustion. He could faint anytime if he pushed himself further than this.

"Yeah, I guess it is over"

Alice's answer overcame everyone present with a feeling of relief. The battle was over and they had won, although at a huge cost of human lives.

All three of the group then looked at the Sea Dragon. It was still there with them, staying still. Exhaustion was clearly displayed on its face. Whatever attack it had done, it must have costed a lot. Ryu put himself in front and slightly below the Sea Dragon's face and started speaking.

"You have our deepest gratitude for assisting us. Thank you"

Ryu bowed to the Sea Dragon as he spoke, and the other two followed suit.

" **The enemy was strong. This one was unable to win alone. This one thanks you"**

The Sea Dragon lowered its head, seemingly bowing as well. The feel of surprise had just now kicked in for the entire team, seeing that the Sea Dragon was fully capable of coherent speech. Its voice was deep and masculine, anyone would immediately assume that the Sea Dragon was a male.

Nevertheless, now that the battle was over and the waters have calmed down, the feeling of grief Ryu had felt back then began creeping up his mind again. All those soldiers could have survived if they had just run away instead of attacking the Kraken. They had died unnecessarily because Ryu had not been more adamant in not letting them participate in the battle. Ryu couldn't help letting out a quite big sigh at this fact, promising himself that if such situation happened again in the future, he would insist and not accept refusal.

But then, as if it knew about his Lament, the Sea Dragon spoke.

" **Those ones' deaths were not in vain. Without those ones' deaths, these ones might not have won"**

"What?"

Ryu was confused from what the Sea Dragon had just said. At the same time, Alice seemed to understand something and therefore she approached Ryu.

"Ryu-san. The ultimate attack back then was not the regular, common magic of this world. I believe it was an ancient draconic magic which, as its name implies, can only be used by ancient dragons"

" **That is true. This one's magic was inherited by this one's predecessor"**

"My foster father left behind some notes about it. The thing about this type of magic is that it requires a large amount of soul sacrifice to gain strength"

"So that means..."

" **Indeed, those ones' deaths were what made this one able"**

"So rest assured, Ryu-san. Those soldiers have done their part. If they know about this they all will be proud of what they have done, sacrificing themselves to bring us victory"

Ryu was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again.

"Yeah, I guess you're right"

Ryu smiled and nodded, agreeing with what he had just been told. Now everything had been settled and it was time to go home.

However, suddenly something emerged at a distance. All of them noticed and couldn't believe what they saw. The Kraken was still alive. Heavily wounded with the Darker Core seemingly falling apart, but it was still alive.

"It's still alive!"

"Good grief. Can you finish it off, Ryu-san?"

"I can't promise anything. I'm now already at my limit"

" **This one is too exhausted"**

"Leave it to me then!"

Lily immediately unsheathed her swords again and held them backhand. She was prepared to fly straight at the Kraken and strike it with all her might.

 **SCHWIIIIIIING!**

But suddenly, a thick pillar of light fell down from the sky with a screeching sound straight on top of the Kraken. For Ryu the light pillar was more like a giant laser of violet color. The giant laser engulfed the Kraken, disintegrating it and the Darker Core without leaving a trace of their existence. What was left after the laser faded away was only a crater which was immediately filled by the sea water around it. Everyone, including the Sea Dragon, were left speechless by the event.

"What was that!? Was it your doing, Ryu-san?"

"No way, Lily. I have no idea"

"Look, up there!"

Alice pointed to a spot high above the place the Kraken had been, and everyone saw a flying figure. Ryu was startled seeing the form of the figure, and he uttered something as the result.

"Falz Angel...?"

"Wait, what? Is that a different Dark Falz?"

"Y-Yeah, I think..."

"Oh, come on! Is that a Dark Falz? Yes or no?"

Ryu actually was not so sure about what he saw. Indeed, the shape and form of the flying figure was highly similar to Falz Angel, the humanoid form of Dark Falz Loser. Its appearance was like a winged knight in shining golden full plate armor that covered its body and wings. However, the figure he saw now was somewhat different. The most striking difference was that instead of the three pairs of slender wings Falz Angel had, this Falz Angel figure only had one pair of big wings, each with four sharp blades protruding downwards from the top part. In addition, this Falz Angel figure somewhat didn't feel sinister at all, unlike the spine-chilling Falz Angel Ryu had faced several times in the past.

Nevertheless, Ryu decided not to take risks at this time.

"Yes. Let's say yes"

"Then I suggest that we all retreat. We're all too out of shape to fight any more than this"

"Right. Let's fall back for now"

Alice and Lily nodded hearing the command from Ryu, who then looked at the Sea Dragon and spoke again.

"Are you going to be fine?"

" **The ocean is this one's domain. This one shall retreat to the depths and recuperate"**

"Be careful. Don't hesitate to retreat to the lands if needed"

The Sea Dragon only responded with a slight growl and nod, and then it retreated to the depths of the ocean. Ryu and the rest of his team immediately flew straight back towards Re-Lobell with Alice as the forward navigator.

 _Another Dark Falz... Come on, where's the fleet? What's taking them so long?_

Ryu couldn't help questioning the situation and how the ARKS Fleet was taking their time. Darkers, infected creatures, and Dark Falz should have been more than enough reason already for them to come and help, but until now there has been no signs of them coming at all. The situation was really bleak, and Ryu seriously considered asking for more assistance from Ainz.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **With this chapter, Ryu's side of the story is mostly over. All that is left is to bring closure to the job he is taking, and then he will return to E-Rantel for a big surprise.**

 **In response to the question posted by the recent guest, Ainz knows that ARKS people never have any intention to keep their existence and purpose secret, so there's no use for Ainz to withhold that info since the public will know anyway once the fleet eventually arrives. In addition, Ainz himself is about to reveal his existence to public soon anyway as part of Demiurge's world domination plan, so the same applies to himself.**

 **See you again later.**


	57. Chapter 51: Arrival of Guardian

**Hello again, all.**

 **I'm glad that so far I have been able to keep up with the release schedule I have decided myself. Nevertheless, now it's time for Chapter 51.**

 **See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

High in the sky on clear night, people of New World could set their sights on the one object always looming over, decorating the dark curtains of the night with its shine. That object was none other than the moon. Its light provided limited illumination to all beings still active in the night. Be they humans, demi-humans, animals, living or unliving, the moon's light did not discriminate. It would shine over all, not caring whether the light would bring them fortune or ruin. Some never paid any special heed to it, while some others revered it, and others still which avoided it like a plague.

But none on the lands below knew about the object hiding behind the moon. It was a gargantuan spacefaring vessel 70 kilometers long with a mildly transparent dome near its back center, which contained a city within.

This vessel was ARKS Ship Number 005, codename: Laguz.

The ship was in a rather crumbling state, having taken damage from a recent event which had separated it from the rest of the fleet. All the crews and technicians were struggling to keep the damage under control, lest the lives of civilians were in jeopardy.

The bridge of the ship was only occupied by a single person; the Ship Administrator with the name Xiera. Xiera was a special kind of android called Hi-Cast, possessing a high level of intelligence and capability to perform extensive calculations. Her appearance could very well pass for a normal human, having blonde short hair tied into high twintails, sky blue eyes, and wearing the standard uniform for ARKS officers, though the top had a custom bright pink color exclusive to her.

"Sector B-812 has a hull breach. Send the nearest technician to plug the hole immediately!"

"Life support unit at Sector D-059 is failing. Divert the power from the neighboring sectors to buy time for repairs!"

"Fire in Sector G-042! Send a Goodbye Fire squad or any Force just cast Nabarta on it since the Photon Restriction Field is currently null and void!"

Xiera was overwhelmingly busy with coordinating people in the efforts of damage control and repair. Her priority right now was to make the ship able to sustain itself once again without crumbling when left unattended for even a minute.

While Xiera was busy relaying commands through the ship's communication network, a person entered the bridge through the entrance behind her seat. Xiera was aware of the person's presence, and therefore...

"I'm temporarily cutting this broadcast off. Contact me only if something very urgently dangerous is spotted!"

After saying it, Xiera cut the communication off and spun her seat to face the person who just came.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

As I walked to approach her, Xiera spun her seat and faced me. Her face expression was as cheerful as ever, but I could rather easily notice that she was quite exhausted, which would say a lot if one took into account the fact that she was a Hi-Cast.

"Welcome back to the bridge!"

"...You look tired"

I expressed my concern, and she seemed to be a little surprised.

"Really? I thought I covered it well! Just pay no heed to it, okay?"

"..."

I only could stay silent. That kind of response was typical of Xiera, and I couldn't really insist to inquire about that any further.

"Anyway, now let me explain the current situation. I know you may already know most of this, but I am obliged to make sure you are informed about every relevant thing!"

Xiera spun her seat again, facing away from me. A number of holographic monitors appeared in front of her, in an amount no normal human could possibly process simultaneously.

"As you can see, the ship is badly damaged. Varuna really got us good, but thanks to your brave effort we managed to escape total destruction. The thing is, now we are totally separated from the fleet and unable to move until we repair the ship back into working condition"

Indeed, we had been on our way searching clues for a way to combat Shiva, the Goddess of Demise. However, one of her aides, Varuna, had pursued us and pretty much all hell had broken loose. In fact, the battle had exhausted me so much I had to stay in bed for two days afterwards.

"But here's the interesting part!"

Xiera spun her seat again, facing me.

"Our escape somehow led us to this peculiar space. According to this data analysis, the planetary system we are now in is surrounded by unnatural energy distortions which effectively functions as some kind of barrier. Those outside can see what's inside, but the opposite doesn't apply. Also, any ship going through the distortion risks taking great damage. No worries! With proper calibration of photon drives the barrier will be as good as none! Moving on!"

Xiera cleared her throat and then she began speaking again.

"Right now we are parked next to a moon which orbits a planet. The planet itself has signs of intelligent life, but we can't glean further because there is something weird about the planet's atmosphere which obstructs our scouting devices"

"Something weird?"

"Yes. There are photon particles in the atmosphere, but the particles are... let's just say, mutated. This is not the same as the negative photon resulted from Darker activities, but more like having their nature forcibly modified. I have yet to analyze the data thoroughly, but I can roughly estimate that the mutation happened more than five hundred years ago, maybe six hundred years. Keep this in mind, since your Photon Arts and Photon Techniques might not behave like you normally expect"

"Hmm..."

I folded my arms, thinking about the information Xiera had just told me. The coming mission would probably be unlike any mission I had ever done.

"You already know your mission, right?"

"Yeah... Search and retrieve the runaway ARKS; Mel Rose"

Mel Rose was the person who had run away from Laguz a couple months ago for some reason. The records said that the Gate Ship she had used had ended up somewhere on this nearby planet, where Laguz had just ended up as well by pure coincidence. Retrieving her had been put on hold for quite long thanks to a lot of urgent events happening, but now that Laguz was under repair just near the planet in question, might as well just do it.

"That is correct! According to the logs, the Gate Ship she used to escape crashed somewhere on this planet. Speaking of crash, the mutated photon in the planet's atmosphere will severely overload the engine of any Gate Ship, causing it to explode and crash. In addition, the communication device will go into safe mode, effectively cutting you off from this ship"

I just sighed. Obstacles after obstacles, how this mission could be any worse now?

"I will calibrate the communication network and Gate Ship engines to work on this planet, but that comes after repairing this ship. I'm sorry about this, but until then you are the only one who can reach her. Find her, and keep her safe until we can extract both of you, alright?"

I nodded without saying anything, and then I walked away back to the entrance of the bridge.

"Good luck, Guardian!"

That was the last thing I heard from Xiera before I activated the teleporter right outside the entrance which brought me to the Gate Area of the ship.

Guardian.

That was the title I somehow had obtained some time ago, thanks to my acts of heroism they said. A title which granted me privilege to act independently within ARKS without worrying about stifling administrative works and bureaucracy. That title also made me revered as some kind of hero among ARKS operatives, which somewhat put a gap between me and them. It was hard to make genuine friends when everybody just outright idolized you, and my case was not an exception.

I glanced around while I walked. Every people around the Gate Area were busy with damage control, tending to the injured, and other stuffs to keep the ship alive. Without paying much heed, I went to the place where Gate Ships were parked.

" _I suppose you need me now, don't you?"_

I rolled my eyes and sighed. The voice speaking to me just now was the last voice I wanted to hear.

" _Of course you do. Of all the powers you borrow, mine is the only one that grants you flight"_

Without responding to the voice, I closed my eyes and put my consciousness into the mind space inside my head. When I came to, the one in front of me inside the rather empty space was Luther, formerly known as Dark Falz Loser. He stood with his arms folded and, with his slanted sharp eyes, brandished a smug face which I was never a fan of.

"So what if I do?"

I also folded my arms, somewhat gesturing a challenge. Luther just laughed as a response.

"Nothing. Feel free to use it as you like. Just be careful, because something unwanted might happen otherwise"

Luther spoke those words still with the smug face. I just kept myself silent and left him alone.

After coming back in control of my body, I went to an airlock room and pressed a few buttons. Soon, the inner door shut tight and then the outer door opened. I jumped out from the room, and then I unleashed the power I borrowed from Luther.

 _ **Dark Blast Loser!**_

A blood red vortex engulfed me, and my body transformed into an altered, purified form of Falz Angel. After the transformation was complete, I spread my wings, flew around the moon, and straight towards the planet which still had not been named in ARKS database. I guess, for now the name I would use to refer to the planet below would be **"Pandora"**.

Within a couple minutes, I reached the atmosphere of Pandora and slowed down my descent into the atmosphere. The star of this system was currently positioned in a way that night had just recently fallen in the area I was descending to.

As I was descending through the clouds, suddenly a huge object passed by from below at incredible speed, nearly hitting me.

"Whoa! What was that?"

I stopped my descent to look at the thing. To my surprise, it was a giant octopus creature. There was no way such creature could fly, so something must have launched it. Soon, as it fell back down, I noticed that there was a Max Darker Core latching on its head. That creature was corrupted by Darkers.

As the giant creature disappeared to the darkness below, I descended further to take a look at the situation. However, suddenly everything became bright and another big thing went past me, nearly hitting me. This time it was a big fiery meteor which had appeared as if it had been conjured right then and there to fall on top of the giant creature.

 **BWOOOOOM!**

The meteor made a big explosion down below. The shockwave pushed me away with great force, sending me tumbling away from the impact spot. It took a minute until I finally could stabilize myself.

I soon went through the clouds towards the impact spot and finally saw the surface of Pandora, which was an open water area at this part. At a distance near the surface, I noticed a different giant creature along with what seemed like three persons floating, and none of them seemed to notice me yet. They were probably the ones fighting the corrupted giant octopus, and judging from the giant meteor, they must be really strong.

Before long, I noticed the corrupted octopus appearing on the water surface below me. It had somehow survived that meteor attack.

I made an assumption that the ones fighting this corrupted octopus were already exhausted, and the responsibility to finish it off would fall on me. Therefore, I used the ultimate attack of this Dark Blast Loser right on the creature.

 _ **Diffusion Ray!**_

As I began the attack, my wings cupped forward and a huge laser was shot right towards the corrupted octopus. To my surprise, the laser I shot out was enormously bigger than normal. I questioned myself whether this was one of the effects of the mutated photon particles on Pandora. Nevertheless, my attack managed to finish the creature off. Now the ones fighting the creature should notice me, and I hoped that they wouldn't see me as their enemy.

As I somewhat expected, they all retreated immediately. This form was quite intimidating after all. Nevertheless, now I should focus on finding a dry land as soon as possible since I just remembered that...

" _Your time is up, fool"_

Luther's voice echoed in my mind, and suddenly my Dark Blast form was engulfed by a red vortex, reverting me back to my normal form.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me.."

That was the last thing I said before I went to a complete free fall to the waters below. I guess I deserved it, since it was myself who had neglected to keep track of the time.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"A new Dark Falz you say? Are you sure?"

"Ryu himself did not seem sure about it, to be honest. But the moment he noticed it he uttered the name Falz Angel"

Ainz's mind went into overdrive despite the mental exhaustion he had. He had no idea what to do with the sudden potential new enemy appearing. If this supposed Falz Angel was also a battle seeker like Elder, things would spiral down into constant battles with two abominations from space wreaking havoc as they pleased.

"I see. What is your current position?"

"Right now, the group is resting at an inn in Re-Lobell. They have retreated from the Falz Angel, which back then didn't seem to pursue"

Ainz tried to recall the map of this world in his head. Re-Lobell was the port city located far west at the western edge of Re-Estize Kingdom. Having another Dark Falz appearing at such a distance would be a real hassle, and Ainz hoped that whatever Ryu's group had just seen was not a Dark Falz.

But right now Ainz was still in the dark about pretty much everything regarding Ryu's group. What were they doing so far west? Why were they out there? Had they retreated because they had fought the Falz Angel and lost? The information was still severely lacking, and it was not advisable to plan further course of action with so little info.

 _I need to get them here as soon as possible and hear their stories. The spy's [Message] won't last long enough to get me up to date... Wait, that reminds me..._

"By the way, why did you wait this long to report to me?"

Ainz couldn't help wondering why the spy had not reported this important matter earlier. Something as important as a possible new Dark Falz should have been reported on sight. A report delivered too late could contribute to the downfall of an entire kingdom.

"My apologies, but for some reason the [Message] scrolls just burned up and vanished with no effect back then. This one is the first successful attempt after expending most of the scrolls Ainz-sama has given me"

 _What?_

Ainz was quite bewildered hearing the answer. He had never heard about [Message] scrolls failing to activate from within a [Reverse Assimilation] target. What could have happened that the scrolls failed but this one didn't?

 _Oh wait, don't tell me..._

"Tell me, is Lily now asleep with her armors unequipped?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

"Is this [Message] the first attempt you did after Lily unequipped her armors?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

 _I knew it._

Ainz had just realized that he had crippled his surveillance on Ryu by giving Lily an overly enchanted armor set. It must have been one of the enchantments which had obstructed the spy from using the [Message] scrolls. Ainz didn't remember which one could have that effect, but it was already too late for him to change that.

"Do you have any scrolls left after this one?"

"There are two scrolls left, Ainz-sama"

"Good. Contact me immediately the moment Lily wakes up in the morning. Keep in mind that you won't be able to contact me again the moment Lily puts on her armor, so make sure you do so before that happens"

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

The [Message] spell ended, and Ainz leaned on the throne once again. Albedo, who had been beside him all along, stood straight with a calm expression, seemingly waiting for Ainz to give her a command or some words.

"It seems we need to fortify the defenses of Nazarick even further"

"I will arrange that with the best of my ability, Ainz-sama"

Ainz leaned to the side, resting his left cheek on his own skeletal hand. For now, his plan was to wait until Ryu's group was rested enough, and then he would contact them and see if he could get them here with [Gate] without drawing unnecessary attention from other people. He decided to wait until morning because a dead-tired person wouldn't be able to tell clear stories.

But for now, there was something Ainz had to do, so he sat straight once more, raised his hand towards his ear, and casted a spell.

[Message]

His target was the one Floor Guardian who was currently away from Nazarick.

"Demiurge"

"At your service, Ainz-sama"

"A situation has come up and your wisdom is needed. Return to Nazarick as soon as you can"

"I apologize, Ainz-sama. Right now I am in a situation which prevents me from returning"

"What? What kind of situation?"

"The ranch is currently under attack... by Darkers. The same ones we saw at the Capital"

"What? How many?"

"A swarm larger than before, and they all are individually stronger than before as well"

What Ainz had just heard from Demiurge was completely bad news. Darkers similar to the ones back in the capital meant Elder was probably nearby, and them being stronger than before meant Elder himself had recuperated from his defeat, coming back even stronger. Back then, Ainz as Perfect Warrior Momon could leisurely hold back during the fight against Elder's Falz Hunar form, but if Elder had gained strength from that encounter...

Ainz quickly made a decision. This decision was made from his instinct to prioritize the survival of his Floor Guardian over some resources.

"Demiurge, abandon the ranch"

"But Ainz-sama-"

"No buts! Abandon the ranch and return to Nazarick! That's an order!"

"...As you command, Ainz-sama"

The [Message] spell ended, and Ainz stood up from his throne.

"Albedo. I will need your wisdom as well. Once Demiurge returns we will have an emergency meeting"

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

Ainz then began walking to his office. A lot of problems had piled up within just one night, and his mind was already exhausted. Could this situation get any worse?

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Somewhere within Abelion Hills, a man was slowly walking foward, his eyes showing determination. In addition, he was smirking in amusement. In front of him was an army of few hundred Darkers under his command, advancing at a steady walking pace towards a settlement guarded by an army of demon creatures.

This man, Elder, had recovered from his defeat against the dark warrior, "Momon", and after defeating countless wild hostiles and absorbing their energy, he was even stronger than before. Right now he was close to reaching the level of power he once had before his defeat to ARKS and landing on this planet. The level which he believed he would reach after coming out victorious against the hostiles ahead. Recreating his true Dark Falz body was an entirely different matter which would take even more energy, but Elder believed he would eventually get there as well.

Elder himself was quite bewildered on how fast his power had been returning to him. He had never expected himself to achieve this much over just a couple months. But nevertheless, he was pleased that everything had turned out overall better despite the few setbacks.

As the two armies were about to clash, Elder was covered in a blood-red vortex and transformed into his Falz Hunar form. He now could keep this form for as long as he wanted, though he still reverted to his human host form sometimes because this Falz Hunar form was only suited for combat and essentially nothing else.

Elder soon stopped walking, took his Elder Pain sword from his back, and raised it pointing to the sky. All the Darkers under his command stopped their advance, their eyes still focused towards the army of demons in front of them.

" **Attack"**

Elder lowered his Elder Pain, pointing it straight towards the enemy army. The Darkers immediately charged forward in unison, and the enemy army did the same in response. Soon, the two armies clashed and the large scale battle began.

Elder was not the type who liked to command an army like what he was doing right now, but he sensed that there was someone behind the enemy army possessing fine energy which he would like to obtain. Teleporting directly to them would risk the army piling up on him, which would be an annoyance instead of a good battle, so a frontal attack with his own army of Darkers was the way Elder chose to do to get there.

The enemy army heavily outnumbered his, but Elder's Darkers were individually strong. Dagan, while the weakest of Darker species, could take out a number of enemies before perishing. The stronger ones like the Kuklonahda were basically unstoppable, swinging their arm-baton around and sending unlucky ones to their early grave.

The only problem Elder's army had was the enemy flyers. All the Darkers in his army were melee attackers, so enemy flyers possessing the ability to attack from range could more or less attack freely. Some species of Darkers like Dagacha and Dahgash could fly, but their flight was slower, so the enemy flyers could defeat them before they could reach their enemies.

That was where the Cyclonehdas would come in.

Cyclonehdas were essentially the same as Kuklonahdas, but their arm-weapon was instead a round ball attached to the arm with a long wire which they could extend and retract at will, effectively functioning as a very long flail. A number of enemy flyers had seen their demise from the massive blunt force from the weapon of the Cyclonehdas. It was not perfect, though, since they needed a few seconds of charge time to throw their ball at long range, but overall the Darkers were winning the battle.

"Whoever is behind the enemies better come out now"

Right after Elder spoke to himself, a pillar of fire emerged at a distance behind the enemy army. Seeing this, Elder smiled. He was pleased knowing that a worthy opponent was coming.

As Elder had expected, a tall and bulky demon figure came out from the pillar of flame and charged through the demonic army towards the Darkers. From the body posture, it was quite clear that the demon was preparing an attack.

[Napalm]

The demon threw a ball of fire into the middle of the crowd. The ball exploded and spread fire all over an area, burning off all the Darkers caught within range except the stronger ones.

[Greater Teleportation]

Suddenly, the demon disappeared from sight. Within a split second, Elder realized that the demon was attempting an ambush by teleporting right behind him. Elder quickly turned around with a horizontal swing of his sword, and the sword clashed with the demon's hardened fist. Both Elder and the demon jumped back after the clash.

"A worthy opponent!"

Elder declared with excitement, feeling the strength of the clash on his arm. Despite the demon being quite smaller than his Falz Hunar form, Elder could feel the great strength of his opponent. The energy within the demonic being was curiously different than the energy he had sensed before, which had just recently disappeared. But Elder didn't care because conflicts and battles were his goal from the beginning, and a very worthy opponent was right in front of him.

Smirking inside his mind, Elder charged at the demon fully expecting an exciting battle.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ainz sat uneasy on his seat in his office room within Nazarick. Albedo stood by him, seemingly uneasy as well. Ainz didn't know whether her uneasiness was from the troubling situation, or merely because she was concerned about Ainz being uneasy. Either way, the root of the uneasiness was the currently ongoing problem.

 **Knock! Knock!**

Someone on the other side of the entrance door knocked. Ainz expected the one knocking to be Demiurge, since Ainz was not expecting anyone else. Therefore he responded with a calm voice, although inside his mind he was not exactly calm.

"You may enter"

 **Click!**

The door opened with a clicking sound, and the one coming in was Demiurge as Ainz had expected. However, Demiurge was unlike his usual self. Normally, Demiurge sported a smug expression as a sign of confidence over his skills and intellect. But this time, the expression on his face showed guilt and depression.

After closing the door back, Demiurge walked towards Ainz. His head was bowed down, and his long sharp ears somewhat drooped. Ainz had never seen Demiurge in such a depressed state, and he wanted to reassure him as soon as possible. Therefore Ainz spoke as soon as Demiurge stopped walking right in front of his office desk.

"Demiurge, raise your head and look at me in the eyes"

Demiurge complied, but just a second later he bowed deeply.

"I apologize for my failure, Ainz-sama. I have failed to protect the ranch, and Nazarick has lost a valuable territory as the result"

Ainz was silent for a couple seconds before speaking in response.

"Demiurge. What happened was not your fault. I gave you the order to abandon the ranch, because I feared that you might get infected again like the last time you encountered Darkers. You are a Floor Guardian, a legacy of my friend, and I would rather lose a parchment material source than a valuable existence like you and all other Floor Guardians"

Demiurge was speechless. His mouth was slightly agape, signifying a disbelief. Ainz immediately continued, because he could somewhat predict what Demiurge would say.

"Before you try to declare yourself unworthy of such praise, I'm going to deny you the chance because you would be wrong. You are one of the most hardworking Floor Guardian, and you have brewed brilliant plans which I would have never thought of. Your worth is much more than some ranch, Demiurge"

"I... I am deeply moved by your grace, Ainz-sama"

Demiurge bowed again. This time, Ainz could notice how Demiurge seemed to be relieved. Ainz was glad that he could bring Demiurge back from the brink of depression.

"Now let's gather round and discuss the current situation"

Demiurge nodded hearing Ainz's words with his confident expression having returned to his face. Ainz, Albedo, and Demiurge then sat around a smaller table at one corner of the room, which was made for the purpose of conducting a small meeting. Ainz began the discussion by filling Demiurge in about what had happened in Nazarick while Demiurge was away. At the end, Demiurge nodded in admiration.

"As expected of Ainz-sama, responding brilliantly within such a short notice. With Mel Rose and Ryu's sister added into the list of allies, we are a step closer to securing an alliance with ARKS as a whole"

"I hope so. It all depends on whether any of them were of high enough position within ARKS to influence the decision of the organization"

Ainz then looked at Albedo, hoping that she would give some kind of input. But knowing the way all Floor Guardians thought, Ainz was aware that he had to take the initiative.

"Is there anything you would like to say, Albedo?"

"Nothing, Ainz-sama. Your thinking is brilliant, and there is no questioning that"

 _Again... Will they ever learn?_

"Albedo, this is an important matter which can influence the survival chance of Nazarick. A wrong decision can jeopardize everything. If you notice something wrong you should speak up, even if you feel that it would be against me. Remember that I am not a wise almighty being. I might mess up and make a bad decision, so..."

Ainz stopped his speech midway. He realized how futile it was to repeat the same speech over and over. No matter what, the undying loyalty of the Floor Guardians would keep them admiring him to unreasonable levels. He had to find a workaround to this situation.

"Ah-!"

Ainz suddenly got an idea which sounded really good to him, but his behavior as he got the idea looked a little strange to the other two, so Albedo spoke up to ask.

"Ainz-sama! Is there something wrong?"

"I want you two to roleplay"

"~What?"

Both Demiurge and Albedo asked simultaneously. They had no idea what Ainz had just meant.

"Let me explain. I will state a general idea, and the two of you will debate over it while pretending that I'm not here. Demiurge will play the role of agreeing with the idea, while Albedo will play the role of opposing the idea. This way, the pros and cons of the idea will surface and become clear to all of us. Only then we can become informed to make a real decision about the idea"

Both Demiurge and Albedo were speechless hearing the idea, making Ainz worry that the idea sounded really stupid to them. He was no longer worried about keeping his image, but utterly embarrassing himself in front of them was a wholly different matter.

"As expected of Ainz-sama. That is brilliant! I'm all in for it"

Demiurge smiled, looking very impressed.

"I will gladly participate, Ainz-sama. Your mind is supreme as always"

 _Uhh... they really never learned._

Ainz let out a little sigh, holding the urge to facepalm. But nevertheless, he spoke again.

"Alright. Let's do a debate about this one..."

Ainz cleared his throat. There was something which had been bugging his mind, and he wanted to know whether his Floor Guardians actually agreed with it. He wouldn't get much info if there were only two of them like this, but at least he hoped to know more about their stance and whether the idea was good to begin with.

"Allying with ARKS"

Immediately, Albedo began speaking with her eyes straight towards Demiurge.

"I see no good reason to ally with ARKS. As far as I can see, the organization is filled with people of human ideals. There is no guarantee that they won't backstab us heteromorphic beings once the tide of battles are in their favor. With that risk in mind, we should cut ties with them and stay cautious against their movements"

Demiurge smirked with the smug expression plastered all over his face.

"If you see two sides fighting a perpetual battle, you could just leave them be and move on, or you can take advantage of it by siding with the one which will give more benefits. In this case, one side is a civilization with powers none uf us have seen before, while the other is a bunch of berserk creatures seeking destruction of everything. It should be obvious which one will give more benefit to us, isn't it?"

"Blinded by greed is the downfall of many mighty ones. We can't just ignore the possibility that they will see our goal and see that as a weakness to exploit. As you have said, they are a civilization with unknown powers. We have no idea what they are capable of, and therefore the risk carried by allying with them is too great to be worth it"

Demiurge smirked again.

"Unfortunately, there is a flaw in your thinking. We already have some idea about their capabilities, and there is evidence that they have no resistance against debuffing and ailment magic. Even if they turn against us later, we can eliminate them all in one fell swoop with area of effect ailment spells. They are essentially in our grasp already"

"It isn't like you to underestimate your enemies, Demiurge. Ainz-sama never underestimates enemies, no matter how weak they are or they seem to be"

"I merely was stating the fact that we already have the information about their weak point which we can exploit if they become our enemy for real"

" **Alright, enough"**

Ainz stopped the debate. He felt that he had heard enough information. His idea turned out working very well, and he was glad for that.

"Both of you have raised good points. I commend you both for that"

"You are too kind, Ainz-sama"

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the praise, Ainz-sama"

Both Albedo and Demiurge bowed to Ainz, showing their gratitude. Ainz didn't pay much heed, and so he continued speaking.

"As for the actual decision, I already have made a promise under the name of the guild to ally with Ryu and ARKS, and by principle I will not break that promise, until they cut the alliance themselves that is. Therefore Nazarick as a whole will continue the mission to ally with ARKS, but as Albedo said, we will keep ourselves cautious against them while trying to get as many benefits from them as we reasonably can. The Photon Arts which CZ and Yuri have gained was one example of such benefit"

Both Albedo and Demiurge nodded in approval.

"Now, let's move to the next topic"

Ainz produced the map of New World from his inventory and put it on the table. Ainz then pointed on one spot between Slane Theocracy and Roble Holy Kingdom.

"Demiurge, I believe your ranch is around this area, isn't it?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

Ainz then pointed to the ocean located to the west of Re-Estize Kingdom.

"The spy I planted on Lily reported to me that a different Dark Falz was spotted here. I will ask Ryu personally about that matter later, but seeing this, I can't help feeling worried that the two Dark Falz might meet and work together. Nevertheless, what was the situation of the ranch when I ordered you to abandon it?"

"I had my Evil Lords summon as many demon beasts as they could to buy some time for them and other useful minions to evacuate. I also used my skill to summon an expendable copy of Wrath. When I left the place, all that was left there were the summoned creatures and the livestock. Humans, demihumans, and all"

"I see. Let's just bet on the chance that your summoned Wrath might defeat Eld-"

Ainz stopped his speech because he had just noticed something within Demiurge's words.

"Wait a second. Demiurge, did my ears fail me or you really said humans? I thought the livestock were chimeras, or what you called as Abelion Sheep"

"What? It can't be- Ahh, I see..."

Demiurge, seemingly realizing something, was silent for a brief moment, and then he bowed to Ainz.

"I truly apologize for my failure to convey clear message to you, Ainz-sama. I should have mentioned them as humans and demihumans from the beginning"

 _Oh crap... This could be bad._

"Demiurge, tell me truthfully; What have you been doing over there?"

Demiurge then explained everything about what he had been doing at the ranch, which essentially had two functions. The first one was to use the skin of humans and demihumans as parchment materials. The other function, which Ainz had never been aware of, was to perform experimentations, both psychological and physical, the latter of which was someting that would have made his old Suzuki Satoru self puke upon hearing about them.

 _Oh dear, now I hope Elder will win and destroy that ranch._

After hearing Demiurge's explanation, Ainz was somewhat thankful that Elder had decided to attack Demiurge's ranch. If any higher ups of ARKS saw the contents of the ranch by any chance, it would basically fulfill an instant-fail condition for the mission to ally with ARKS.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Let me put a reminder that I have galleries which could help in visualizing how things look like. I have recently updated them both, so check them out again. Links are on my profile.**

 **See you in another two weeks.**


	58. Chapter 52: Puzzled Minds

**Hello again, everyone.**

 **As you might notice, the cover image of this story has changed slightly. That is what Ryu is supposed to look like from the beginning. Just saying.**

 **See you in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **SPLASH!**

I hit the water head first after falling from the tremendous height, no thanks to my Dark Blast form expiring from so far up there. There was no damage taken since my photon armor still worked perfectly. Photon armor also enabled me to breathe in space and survive its harsh environments to a certain extent, therefore underwater and its high pressure were no different. However, I was not so sure if the personal artificial gravity which came along with that function would be a good idea, since now I was sinking to the dark depths below.

After a couple minutes, I landed on the seabed ground with my two feet. Unfortunately, photon armor didn't provide dark vision, so right now everything was pitch black for me. In response to the situation, I activated the personal illumination feature which would light everything up within 10 meter radius, but I was practically giving my position away to anyone while it was active. I was never a stealth person to begin with, so I didn't care.

I also activated my photon interface to scan the surroundings and see if there could be any points of interest nearby. I also hoped that there would be Darkers or Darker-infected hostiles since in order to reactivate Dark Blast I needed to defeat such hostiles and absorb enough Darker Factor. Otherwise, I would have to walk on my own towards dry land which seemed to be far to the east.

"Hmm?"

There was a curious reading which the scanner picked up. The distance was a little far, about ten clicks north, but I decided to check that out anyway. I took my weapon out, which was an assault rifle, and activated a Photon Art which would enable me to run at high speed as long as it was active.

 _Shift-Nachtangriff!_

 **ZOOOM!**

"W-What the hell!"

To my surprise, the speed of my running was a lot faster than what the Photon Art would normally provide. Out of reflex and surprise, I halted the running.

As part of the Photon Art, right after I stopped running, two energy balls were shot forward from my weapon. To my surprise once again, the two balls were significantly larger and brighter than normal, demolishing everything they touched, including the ground they were grazing. Thankfully, they still disappeared into thin air after traveling about thirty meters forward. Otherwise I couldn't imagine what kind of destruction would have happened in their wake.

I stopped to think about what had just happened. Indeed Xiera had warned me that my Photon Arts and Photon Techs would probably not behave as normal while on Pandora, but I had never expected them to be ridiculously powered up like that.

" _Interesting"_

Luther's voice echoed in my head again. Of course someone like him would find this phenomenon interesting. There had been no other places where this kind of thing happened after all.

" _It seems the photon particles on this planet are so... unique. I wish I could build a lab here to research on it"_

I kept myself silent, not paying any heed to his words. Now that I knew about the effects, I mentally prepared myself and once again activated the Photon Art.

 _Shift-Nachtangriff!_

 **ZOOOM!**

I sped through the seabed at a speed which would allow me to arrive at my destination within a short time. Unfortunately, my photon energy reserve wouldn't last that long in maintaining the Photon Art. Therefore, I had to periodically stop and recharge. I kept in mind to cancel the Photon Art entirely instead of merely stopping the dash whenever I needed to, since it would be bad if I accidentally destroyed something important, or harmed whatever was living down here.

After about five minutes, I arrived at the spot indicated by the scanner. After stopping, I looked around to see if I could find the object of interest, whatever it could be.

"What...?"

It didn't take long for me to notice the object, since it was something I could recognize easily. It was a Gate Ship, in wrecked beyond repairs condition. In addition, it was covered in blood red veins, a clear display that it had been infected by Darkers and now was spreading Darker Factors to the surroundings.

I approached it, wondering if I could purify the wreckage and stop it from spreading Darker Factors. I put my hand on the wreckage and charged photon into it.

 **FLASH!**

The wreckage was covered in bright blue light for a moment, and once the light dissipated the wreckage had lost all the blood red veins. The purification was successful.

"Alright"

After making sure that there were no more Darker Factors oozing out from the wreckage, I entered the interior of the Gate Ship through a hole at its back. I looked around at the inside and, as I expected, none of the terminals and teleporters inside were working anymore. This Gate Ship was totally gone.

However, something caught my interest. Or to be exact, the lack of something.

The food terminal on one side of the Gate Ship was not there. Not because it had been lost during the crash. That side of the ship was still intact but totally plain, as if the terminal had never been there in the first place.

The food terminal was a feature added to all Gate Ships much later than other features, after a technological advancement enabled exquisite dishes to be made within an instant. Seeing that this Gate Ship remains had no food terminal, I could only conclude that this Gate Ship had crashed here years ago before the feature had been added.

But that still didn't make sense.

The global addition of the feature had happened about three years ago, yet the condition of the wreckage was not decrepit enough to signify having been abandoned here for such a long time. Moreover, this kind of incident should have been documented and resulted in Pandora being added to the list of planets since long ago if that had been the case.

If I had to try to draw a conclusion from these points, I would say that this was the Gate Ship Mel Rose had stolen to run away from Laguz, and this ship just happened to be one which had been missed by the global feature addition. That didn't make sense either because the Gate Ship which had been stolen by Mel Rose was a registered one, which should have the food terminal feature.

Unable to draw any good conclusions, I stepped out of the wreckage with an unsatisfied mindset. Too many questions, and not enough answers.

 **WHOOSH!**

Suddenly, a large creature passed by and quickly went out of the illumination range. Its passing created a minor shockwave which staggered me a little. Just seconds later, it returned and stopped at the spot right in front of me. It was so big my illumination range didn't cover the entirety of its body, but soon it lowered its head into range, and now I was face-to-face with it.

I could recognize the serpent-like creature as the same one which had fought the corrupted giant octopus creature alongside the three persons back then. My quick scanning indicated that this creature was not infected at all, so I should keep myself from attacking first and see what would happen next.

Soon, the creature opened its mouth and began speaking.

" **That object no longer spreads evil. This one thanks the other"**

At first, I didn't quite understand what the creature meant. But it didn't take long for me to realize that they were thanking me for purifying the Gate Ship, stopping it from spreading Darker Factors.

" **Many merfolk affected and became evil. That one creature, became large and powerful"**

"Are there more of this thing that spread evil?"

I asked the question, trying to find out if there were any more infected objects which would spread Darker Factors like the Gate Ship wreckage. I couldn't do much against infected creatures which had already become berserk other than defeating them and hope they would survive the beatings, but for infected objects I could at least attempt to purify it like what I had just done with the Gate Ship.

" **That object was the only one, as far as this one is aware"**

"Good to hear"

I nodded in relief, and then I wondered why this serpent-like creature could escape infection without photon armor. Although, seeing that the Shironian natives of the planet Harkotan could do the same thanks to their goddess giving them her blessing, this creature could possibly be the same or similar case. I then decided to directly ask about it since I believed there would be no loss in asking.

"How come you are not infected like the merfolk and the large creature?"

" **Difficult to explain, but this one will try"**

The serpent creature then began explaining on how it had escaped infection. Their way of speaking was a little strange compared to normal ways, but thankfully with some thought process I could decipher what they meant. In the end, it was actually simple. They were in possession of a special magic which protected them from Darker Factor, though it came with a side effect of reducing their speech level into nothing while it was active. Now that the infected Gate Ship was no more, they no longer needed to maintain the magic.

" **Evil merfolk are still out there. Would the other be willing to eliminate evil merfolk?"**

I thought about it for a minute. Hunting infected merfolk would take a while depending on how many of them were, but as an ARKS and a Guardian, I wouldn't turn a blind eye on them running rampant and harming innocent beings. Therefore, I nodded.

"Alright, I will do it"

" **Then this one will assist the other, starting with this"**

The creature began glowing faintly right after saying that.

" _ **Dringay'n Zemabca"**_

The creature casted something on me, and suddenly everything around me became very clear as if I was standing on land in broad daylight. Could that have been some kind of night vision spell? Nevertheless, now that the personal illumination system was no longer needed, I turned it off.

"Thank you"

The creature nodded, and the two of us departed to begin our hunt on infected merfolk.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"I see, all teams so far have had it rough"

Momon gave his short remark after hearing the stories from Gringham and Hekkeran about what had happened inside the ruins to their respective team.

"Yeah, thankfully we had no casualties"

Hekkeran said those words while remembering that their team had almost had a total wipeout if not for Sheep unleashing her seemingly dangerous, forbidden power which had costed her a lot. The entire team was now in a deeper debt than ever before to Sheep.

"Dragon Hunt had two casualties, and Tenmu is still not back yet. I suppose we will presume them dead if they are not back by morning"

Gringham and Hekkeran nodded hearing Momon's words. Seeing how dangerous the contents of the ruins were, and how difficult the trials they had to pass to return alive, such presumption wouldn't be far off.

"Ainz Ooal Gown... If he someday decides to rise from the tomb, he might become the center of a historical event, for better or worse"

As Momon stoically spoke again, no one around him could disagree. The power possessed by that undead was simply unfathomable. Not to mention that he seemed to have a high degree of intelligence and code of honor. Something which had never been seen in an undead being. Anything could happen in the future with that kind of mixture.

"By the way, Hekkeran"

Hekkeran was a little surprised by the sudden call, but he quickly responded.

"Yes, Momon-san?"

At this point, a feeling of worry was creeping up in his mind. He had just remembered something which the entire team had failed to remember earlier.

"I can't help noticing that one of your members now has demon-like horns. Did something in the ruins somehow demonified her?"

 _Ah, this is what I have been fearing._

Indeed, nobody in the team remembered to remind Arche to reapply the illusion spells on Sheep. Momon and Nabe were the only ones who had seen those horns so far, but now Gringham knew about it as well since he was sitting right there listening to everything. Now Hekkeran had no idea whether he should be honest about everything or make something up to cover her.

" _Tell the truth"_

Imina whispered to Hekkeran in a low voice. Hekkeran actually was leaning towards the same option, but Imina's whisper solidified his decision. Indeed, Momon and Nabe were Adamantite Rank adventurers who definitely had seen a lot of things and people. Seeing through lies was probably one of the skills they had picked up during their career, so lying and making things up would be a very bad idea.

"Umm, no. She is what she is"

Momon leaned forward as he heard Hekkeran's words.

"If it's not too much trouble, tell me about it"

Hekkeran then began explaining everything he knew about Sheep, from the time his team had met her and Rose until the latest reveal that Ryu Seika, the leader of another Adamantite Rank team, was her brother. This also included the fact that for a certain time period she had been hunted down as the target of an Adamantite Rank job. During all the stories, Momon just sat there listening intently.

"I see, so you're planning to accompany her to E-Rantel instead of going back to Arwintar with the others after this job is done"

"Yes. It's the least we can do after she has saved our lives, twice now"

Momon nodded, and suddenly Gringham spoke.

"Ah, sorry, but I think I know some details thou hath missed. Namely, details about why the particular job was closed"

Hekkeran's eyes went wide. It had been his mistake to neglect looking for details about why Sheep was no longer hunted, so finding out the answer would be a great boon for him.

"The job was closed on a note that the target was not a dangerous demon at all. Instead, she was a people from... what was the name again...? Ark?"

"ARKS"

Momon said that one word in the middle of Gringham's struggle to remember.

"Yes, that's the one. She was a people from ARKS, and the adventurers she has killed have been infected by something they called Darkers if I remember it right, and they were already beyond saving. At least that was the news I heard. The adventurer team which closed this job was Ignite Maximus"

Hekkeran couldn't help getting surprised by the last two words, thus he stood up quickly.

"That is her brother's team! So he was in the Empire recently?"

"Calm down there, lad. The team only went as far as Rothar, and news don't travel fast. I bet they hath gone back to the Kingdom since some time ago"

"Oh, right"

Hekkeran sat down again, feeling a little embarrassed. Momon then spoke.

"Despite the fact, I still suggest that the illusion spells on her be reapplied. Common citizens might not receive her looks well. Nevertheless, all of you have been through a lot. Go back to your tents and rest up. I'll see you by morning"

All three workers nodded in agreement with Momon and stood up to walk back to their tents. There was still time until morning, and they all could use some good night sleep.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Morning has arrived.

Ryu somehow woke up earlier than Lily and Alice, and now he was sitting by the window overlooking the ocean. The sky was still fairly dark and he couldn't see the sun since the window was facing west. Both girls were still asleep, so Ryu just sat there thinking about the strange Falz Angel he had seen back then. There were things that just didn't make sense about the Falz Angel.

Firstly, the host of Dark Falz Loser, namely Luther, was supposed to be no more. Regius, one hero of the Six Pillars Council, had fatally wounded Luther. After that, Luther had been wholly devoured by Dark Falz Double and nobody knew what had happened to Luther afterwards. One thing for sure, devouring Luther had enabled Dark Falz Double to create and send clones of Luther to wreak havoc everywhere they liked.

Secondly, assuming that the Falz Angel back then had been one of the clones, its behaviour had been strange. Clones made by Double behaved like a regular Darker; berserk and hostile against any non-Darker. However, that Falz Angel had not shown immediate hostility after killing the Kraken. It had not pursued the team either when they had fled.

And finally, the form. Ryu had never heard of a Dark Falz having an altered form. He wanted to assume that the altered form was the effect of this planet's peculiar photon, but Elder's Falz Hunar form still looked the same. Another possibility was that the Falz Angel was not Falz Angel after all, just something that looked similar by chance.

There were so many questions but no sufficient information to make any clear answers. Ryu just let out a small sigh at this lingering fact.

"Uhhh..."

Ryu heard a yawning voice he was already familiar with.

"Good morning, Lily"

"Ah, good morning, Ryu-san!"

Lily sounded surprised since it was unusual for her to wake up later than Ryu. Her voice was quite loud as the result.

"Sssh!"

Ryu quickly put his finger in front of his mouth, prompting Lily to keep quiet. Lily seemed to understand what Ryu meant, looking at Alice who was still asleep right next to her. This room only had two beds, so as common courtesy Ryu had one for himself while Lily and Alice shared the other.

" _Sorry!"_

Lily spoke in low voice as she slowly got out from the bed. She was about to put her armor on right after getting out, but Ryu stopped her with a hand gesture.

"You don't need to be so stiff. Come here and enjoy the morning view with me"

"Oh, alright, Ryu-san"

The seat Ryu was sitting on was a sofa which could fit two persons, so Lily, who was still only wearing her plain red shirt, tight black shorts, and socks, sat down right next to him. It was a rare moment for Ryu to see Lily being armorless with her hair down, and now that he had a closer look, he couldn't help feeling that she was actually quite beautiful. If only she was a little taller and didn't have such a childlike behaviour, perhaps he would not see her as a daughter like now. Perhaps, he would have finally broken his perpetual fate of not having any significant other.

"Is... something on my face, Ryu-san?"

"Ah, no... It's just... I just thought that... you look beautiful"

"Wha-?"

Lily was taken by surprise hearing what Ryu had just said, and Ryu was surprised as well himself. He actually had wanted to say about how rare it had been to see her in such state, but those words had come out from his mouth just like that. Now he had no idea what to say next.

"Uh, I mean-"

Ryu immediately took a deep breath, trying to regain composure. At this point, Lily was still flustered by Ryu's previous words.

"Uh, Lily. You are like a daughter to me. No father in their right mind would think that their daughter is not beautiful. B-But I didn't mean that you're not beautiful. You are, really"

Ryu's mind was a mess. He wanted to dig down a hole and disappear right now, realizing that his words just now was pointlessly long and didn't get any point across at all. He had just shamed himself in front of Lily.

"Argh! Forget what I said. I just wanted to say that it was rare for me to see you armorless with your hair down, and instead something else came out from my mouth"

Lily was speechless hearing Ryu's words, but soon she smiled and let out a small giggle.

"Ryu-san, you're really an awkward father figure"

Ryu just leaned back with his arms folded and his eyes averted from Lily.

"Yeah that's the way I am. Can't help it"

"You know, Ryu-san. I already have a father"

"Yeah, I know. I can never be like him"

"Papa is Papa, and you are you, Ryu-san. Both of you have your own way to be my father figure, and no matter what, I love you both!"

Lily made a warm smile as she said that, and Ryu couldn't help feeling captivated. He now had no idea whether he was more like a father captivated by the daughter's sincerity, or... something else.

"Yeah, I love you too, Lily; As my daughter figure"

Lily just let out a small giggle in response. As Ryu and Lily had their tender moment, both of them didn't realize that right under the blanket on the bed, Alice was facepalming both figuratively and literally after overhearing the conversation between the two.

" _Stupid couple..."_

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"I see. Good work"

Ainz was still in his office with Albedo and Demiurge accompanying him. All three of them were still sitting around the small meeting table, and they had been there for hours with Albedo and Demiurge debating over various ideas mentioned by Ainz. Ainz was very glad that his sudden, out of the blue idea actually had been working much better than he had ever expected. In fact, it felt like a major breakthrough.

Just now, Ainz had just ended a conversation through [Message] sent by the spy inside Lily. Before this one, he also had received a different [Message] from Pandora's Actor who was still playing the role of Momon up there among the Workers. Having the events reported so far, Ainz had an idea about the current situation of various places, but all the incoming information put him into an even deeper mental fatigue.

 _Really, this almost feel like my old workplace._

Ainz didn't want to remember the hell he had been in back in the previous world, but the overwhelming situation at hand reminded him of it, like it or not.

"I need a break"

Ainz uttered that sentence while leaning back to his seat. Both Albedo and Demiurge seemed to be surprised, and they immediately expressed their concern.

"A-Ainz-sama! My apologies for exhausting you so much! Please take a rest!"

"It is unimaginable for us to dare keeping you up to the point of exhaustion! Please rest and bestow us a proper punishment, in any order Ainz-sama would like!"

 _Don't you two know that what you just said made me even more tired?_

Ainz straightened his body up and spoke in response.

"I will do just that, but there are a few more things I want to address first. After all, the world won't stop for you no matter what"

Ainz then raised his hand towards the side of his head to cast the spell he was already somewhat tired of.

[Message]

"...Lily"

"Ah, Papa! How are you!?"

"I'm all fine. Now listen up; Something came up and I need all of you here. I would normally conjure a portal for you, but I believe right now you are not at the usual place. Therefore I shall send someone to fetch you. Finish your business there as fast as possible and wait right outside the city. Tell Ryu this and let me know his response"

"Alright, Papa"

Ainz then waited for a bit so Lily could relay the message to Ryu. Since she was still connected, Ainz could hear everything she said to Ryu. She relayed everything well, with no information missing. But of course Ainz couldn't hear what Ryu said in response. He had to wait until Lily told him what Ryu had said.

"Ryu-san said okay. We will be there soon"

"Thank you. I will see you soon"

Ainz then ended the [Message] and looked at Albedo.

"Albedo, tell Mare to go to Re-Lobell and pick them up. With his teleportation spells, there shouldn't be any problem, no?"

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

"Still, remind him to be as discreet as he could. While I do plan to make our existence publicly known, I don't want to draw unnecessary attention before then"

Albedo nodded, and then she stood up and walked away. Ainz diverted his eyes to Demiurge after Albedo left.

"Now that a good few hours have passed, let's take a look at what's left of the ranch and see the aftermath of the battle"

Ainz produced a Mirror of Remote Viewing from his inventory, and put it in a position where both him and Demiurge could see its display. He then directed the mirror to scry the location of Demiurge's ranch, and it didn't take long for him to find the remains. It was completely devastated, and neither Elder nor any Darkers were anywhere to be seen within range.

"Totally destroyed, and it seems all the livestock perished"

"My apologies, Ainz-sama"

Demiurge hanged his head in shame, while Ainz was pretty glad that Elder had won. With the ranch destroyed, the instant-fail condition for allying with ARKS was no more. However, Ainz felt that he still needed to be cautious in this matter.

"Demiurge"

"At your service, Ainz-sama"

"Get one of the photon armor units from Chief Blacksmith and go back to the ranch. I want you to clean everything up, corpses and all. Make the land look as if the ranch had never been there. You have the liberty in regards of the method"

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

"If for some reason Elder returns, retreat immediately. If he really won against the Wrath copy, he is no longer an opponent you can take alone"

Ainz knew that he shouldn't send Demiurge alone, especially since the Floor Guardians normally had one or more high level escort ever since the Shalltear incident. However, there were only two units of photon armor in Nazarick, and he didn't want to halt the research on them. So in practice there was only one unit which could be brought out for use to prevent Darker infection. This could be a highly dangerous mission, but he couldn't choose to let the remains stay there since none of the ARKS people should see anything remaining from the ranch.

"Understood, Ainz-sama. I shall be going then"

Ainz nodded, and Demiurge left the room. Now that he was once again alone, Ainz leaned into slouching position and let out a sigh. He almost felt that he could fall asleep right here and now, even if it something that was impossible to do, no thanks to his nature as an undead.

 _Ahh~~ I really want to fall asleep!_

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Ah, dammit!"

Somewhere in Abelion Hills, Elder was leaning against a tree in the middle of a forest. His condition was nowhere near prime, having been beaten up quite badly.

The battle against that demon creature had been very exciting. Elder had fought with the best effort he could muster, and his opponent fought back with equal to almost greater force. He had almost tasted another defeat, and even that could have been a great thrill. Something Elder always yearned for.

But something unexpected had disrupted the battle.

"That creature. Never expected that... _thing,_ to follow me all the way to this planet"

Elder sat down on the ground, trying to rest his beaten-up body. What had happened was a mixed blessing for him. He had absorbed a good amount of energy from the demon creature, and that was another step towards recovering his full strength. However, he had been partially denied the thrill of the battle because the intruder had gone on a total rampage, eliminating the entirety of Elder's Darker army with a single move, and then proceeded to lay waste to the demon army, including the demon creature he fought. Elder had been forced to retreat because he was already quite exhausted from the battle, so fighting the intruder would have definitely been a suicidal move.

"So I was not mistaken at all. That sound of glass cracking back then..."

Elder let out a sigh, thinking that his quest for power had become more complicated.

"The Darker-eating dragon... Heh, no joking there"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Things have become more complicated. A new ally and also a new calamity have arrived, both without many being aware of their arrival. The intertwining fates shall converge, but the question is when, and to what effect.**

* * *

 **Q And A:**

* * *

 **Q:** Am I the only one who wants to see Pandora actor meeting his new 'sister' and the reaction?

 **A: That might be happening soon enough.**

* * *

 **See you again next time.**


	59. Chapter 53: Objectives Intertwining

**Hello again, everybody.**

 **We're coming closer to ending the equivalent of Vol 7, and thus Vol 9 will soon begin. There are a few things I would like to tell you all, but that will come after the chapter. So, on with the show.**

 **See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

It was finally dawn at the worker camp, and the nearly pitch black sky at long last began to shine. One by one, the residents of the tents came out from their resting places. Although most, if not all, of them didn't seem rested at all. It was natural. No one would be able to sleep soundly after facing the horrors they had seen in the ruins.

Hekkeran was among those who came out first from the team's tent. The rest of the team soon followed, including Sheep who last night had seemed as if she was in the brink of death. She was now fully recovered, and that was a great relief for Hekkeran and the others.

"Sheep, just wondering, are you sure you are alright now?"

"Sheesh, I told you that I just needed some rest, didn't I?"

Sheep sounded mildly irritated, but she still let out a small laugh. Right at this time, Hekkeran once again took a good look on her, making sure that the illusion spells to conceal her horns and red eye had been properly reapplied.

"Right. Let's get ready then"

After a few minutes of freshening themselves up, all the workers gathered in one area. They were grouped up according to their teams, and all had their eyes on the man in black full-plate armor, Momon, standing straight facing them. His companion Nabe and the escort adventurer team were also there standing near him. Before long, Momon spoke up with a loud and clear tone of voice.

"Well, first of all, good morning. I will not ask about whether you slept well or not, since I'm sure most of you didn't, if not all of you. Second, I'm gathering all of you to ask a question"

Momon took a brief moment to clear his throat.

"After hearing your stories, I conclude that what lies within the ruins is overwhelmingly powerful. With that in mind, the one team which still has not returned will be presumed dead until proven otherwise. Thus I will ask this once: Do you want to return to the ruins as per the initial plan of the job?"

Indeed, according to the original plans, the expedition was supposed to take more than one day, depending on how large and deep the ruins were. However, that plan was made on the assumption that the workers could handle the hostiles lurking inside. After what they had experienced inside, all the workers present gave a single, unanimous answer.

"No!"

Of course nobody would have chosen otherwise. They all had basically survived by the skin of their teeth, and no man in the right mind would try risking it again.

"Good. I expected the wise decision"

Momon said those words with a straight tone. Nobody felt offended in the slightest, because only a stupid or insane person seeking death would return to that ruins after experiencing what they had barely survived from.

"In that case, we shall return to Arwintar and report what we know. But before that, I have a selfish request if you are willing to hear me out"

Nobody gave out any answer, so Momon continued speaking after a brief moment of silence.

"There's a village not too far from here, about one or two hours trip with the carriage. I would like to check on a few things over there before returning. Will it be alright for me to borrow one carriage to take me there before returning?"

The so-called 'selfish request' turned out to be just for one of the two Sleipnir carriages to take a small detour before returning to Arwintar. Since each carriage could only fit so many people within, at least one team would have to ride the carriage taking the detour. The workers looked at each other and gave various gestures like a small nod or a shrug, but overall they all didn't mind the detour, since after all they were going to return earlier than planned. Hekkeran exchanged a few words with his members, and they all agreed. Right after that, Gringham and Parpatra gestured Hekkeran to speak in behalf of every worker, and so he spoke.

"Momon-san. We all don't mind the slight detour"

Momon nodded in response to the approval.

"Thank you for your approval. Let's begin the preparation for departure, then"

The workers and adventurers then returned to their tents and began their preparation to leave, mainly packing their equipment and disassembling the tents. Since all present were experienced in this regard, it only took less than ten minutes before everything was ready for departure. The two carriages were ready to depart, so all that was left was to decide which team would take which carriage, and where they would rendezvous later. Right now, the adventurers were looking at a map and discussing the latter point, while Momon and Nabe stood facing the three leaders of worker teams.

"From the number of members within each team, I suggest Foresight coming with me while the others take the other carriage. Are there any objections?"

Hekkeran spoke in response. Both Momon and Gringham already knew the point he wanted to get across, but since Parpatra had not been there back then, he felt that he ought to restate his team's intention.

"Actually, my team planned to go to E-Rantel for some business, so coming along with you would be the best for us as well, if we're thinking of the same village"

"Ah, yes. You will be much closer to E-Rantel if you come with me. Do the other teams have any objections?"

Both Gringham and Parpatra shook their head, and therefore everything was decided. The adventurers also seemed to have made their decision, so everyone boarded their respective carriage and departed.

For Hekkeran and the rest of Foresight, the carriage ride this time felt more spacious. It was a given since now there was only Darkness Team riding with them and Nabe was sitting alongside the driver to give directions, so Foresight pretty much had nearly the entire carriage interior for themselves unlike before.

The ride was smooth and uneventful so far after. For the last thirty minutes or so, the members of Foresight were having some idle chat about irrelevant things just to pass time. Momon had never said any words during this time, and he just sat there without any motion. With his face fully concealed by the helmet, some people might assume that he was asleep.

But suddenly he spoke, breaking his silence.

"There is something I want to ask if you don't mind"

"Sure, Momon-san"

Everyone's attention were directed towards Momon at this point. Disregarding Sheep and Rose, even though the team members were workers, an Adamantite Rank adventurer was still like a celebrity figure worthy of respect. Therefore they tried their best to treat him with reverence.

"I remember that this team is going to retire after this job, right? What are your plans after that? Any place in your mind for settling down?"

Hekkeran looked at his members, and they all shrugged, telling that none of them had any idea yet. He then looked at Momon again.

"We haven't decided on that yet, actually. We do know that Sheep and Rose will part ways from us and go with Sheep's brother once they reunite, but what comes after is still undecided"

After Hekkeran spoke, Arche immediately followed up.

"Umm... I do have to return to Arwintar to take my sisters with me first"

"I see. Then I have a suggestion for you to consider. The village we are heading to, Carne Village, is a decent place to settle for at least a while. It is a frontier village located next to a forest where uncommon herbs can be found. E-Rantel is only one day walk from there, and a certain incident left the people with many vacant houses, so they could use some more capable ones"

"Incident?"

Hekkeran couldn't help muttering the question. An incident which left many houses vacant could mean anything from a dispute which made some villagers left, or something violent like a monster attack which killed a lot of people. Momon was silent for a few seconds before speaking again.

"This is actually related to the business I have in the village. According to the stories I heard from some survivors, the village was once under attack by knights bearing Empire flags, though they later learned that the banners were fake and there was a different motive. Anyway, that attack would have left no survivors at all if a powerful magic caster didn't interfere and annihilated the knights"

"Wow, someone strong was at the right place and time, although a little late"

Imina spoke her opinion. Indeed it could have been the best if the magic caster had come sooner, but the village had already been lucky having a savior.

"Now here is the thing..."

Momon was silent again for a brief moment. Then after looking around as if he was making sure nobody else could hear him, he spoke in low voice.

"They said that the name of the magic caster was... Ainz Ooal Gown"

"W-What!?"

Hekkeran and the others couldn't hide their surprise hearing what Momon had just said. Momon immediately put his finger over his mouth, signalling everyone else to stay quiet.

"Sshh.. Don't let the adventurers know, at least not now"

Hekkeran understood the intention. There were currently two members of the adventurer team sitting at the front seat of the carriage, and Momon didn't want to make them unnecessarily alarmed. After checking and making sure that none of them heard anything, Momon continued speaking.

"That is why I'm going to check if the villagers knew some more information about him. Outside that ruins, the village might be the only link we have to glean information. Therefore, try not to antagonize the villagers even if they think highly of him"

Momon glanced at Roberdyck as he spoke.

"My concern is on you for the most part. You look like someone who bears hatred towards undead and will immediately preach on the villagers"

"Hey, I'm not among those hardline Paladins. I know my place, and I'm not so blind as to the unusual nature of Ainz Ooal Gown. He's... quite different."

Roberdyck was annoyed by Momon's remark, but it was understandable so he didn't say anything further.

"Good to hear"

The trip then continued for a while without much to say. Later the carriage arrived right at the front gate of Carne Village, and as Momon had told them about during the trip, some well-equipped goblins came out from the bushes. Momon immediately came out from the carriage and approached the goblin guards, who noticed soon enough.

"Ah, I remember you. You are ane-san's acquaintance"

"Yes, I came here for a short visit if she is available"

"Alright, you may go in. I will accompany you there"

The gate opened, then Momon and Hekkeran's team followed the goblin guard into the village. The two adventurers and Nabe stayed outside guarding the carriage because it was too big to go through the gate.

Hekkeran and the rest of his team had not planned to enter this village at first. They had intended to immediately depart for E-Rantel upon arrival, but looking at the situation and how this village was connected to Ainz Ooal Gown, everyone couldn't help being curious.

The group walked a distance until they arrived at a simple house. There was a long wooden table outside, and the dirty dishes on it implied that a group had just finished eating there. A girl, seemingly on her teens, was picking up the dishes.

"Ane-san! You got visitors!"

The girl immediately looked at the group and showed a slightly surprised expression.

"Momon-san! Please have a seat, and your companions too! Thank you for the notice, Suigyo!"

"I will help, ane-san"

"Thank you again, Suigyo!"

The goblin, Suigyo, helped the girl who immediately hurried to clean the table from the dirty dishes. The group slowly one by one took seat around the table as this was happening. Momon began speaking after everyone was seated. Suigyo left the place to return to the front gate after the table was cleaned.

"Let me introduce her to you all. This is Enri Emmot. I knew her from a man whom I escorted here from E-Rantel some months ago"

Hekkeran then spoke on behalf of the others.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Hekkeran. This is Imina, Roberdyck, Arche, Rose, and Sheep. Our team just happened to be accompanying Momon's team at this time"

"Pleased to meet you too. Would you like a drink?"

Enri bowed as she spoke. Momon raised his hand as a sign of declining.

"I am here just to ask a question or two. This shouldn't take long"

"Oh, alright. What would you like to ask, Momon-san?"

Enri took a seat as she spoke, her attention was fully directed at Momon.

"Would you tell me everything you know so far about Ainz Ooal Gown?"

"Huh? I don't mind, but did something happen?"

"In a sense, yes. I wasn't there to witness it directly, but according to them he was still doing fine, so no need to be concerned"

"Alright, then"

Enri then began to tell her stories about Ainz Ooal Gown, from the moment he had saved her and her sister from certain death, until the pretty recent time when he and a visiting adventurer team had saved the village from a Darker attack. Sheep and Rose seemed quite surprised at the last part, but they didn't say anything.

"Ryu-dono did most of the work, but it was thanks to Gown-sama that the village did not have any casualties, though poor Cona had to lose an arm. Thankfully, one of Ryu-dono's companions grew his arm back with a healing spell"

"So, do you think Ainz is a good person?"

"Of course he is! He had saved this village and asked basically nothing in return!"

Enri looked genuinely respectful towards Ainz, and she didn't seem to have been mind-controlled or such. Hekkeran began to consider the possibility of Ainz being a good-natured undead, and the others probably thought the same. Although the very notion of it would be deemed 'insanity' at best, and 'heretical' at worst by the world at large.

Right at this time, someone came towards the group and greeted Enri. At a glance this person looked like a male adventurer bearing a Gold Rank plate, but upon closer look Hekkeran could see some feminine features. This person was actually a female.

"Good morning, Chief Enri. You have visitors this early?"

"Good morning, Vivi! Yes, they wanted to know more about Gown-sama, so maybe you could tell your story?"

"Oh, sure. Why n-"

The girl, Vivi, suddenly stopped speaking upon seeing Momon. She looked very surprised.

"Momon-san! It's you!"

Momon looked at Vivi, seemingly a little confused for some reason.

"...Ninya? What are you doing here? I thought you were at the capital with your team"

From Momon's reaction, it was clear that they knew each other but haven't met for quite a while. In addition, there could be some complex stories behind them since Momon remembered Vivi with a different name.

"Ah, you see Momon-san. My real name is Viviana Veyron, and now everyone calls me Vivi"

"So that means you have found your sister?"

"Yes! It was all thanks to Ainz-sama!"

Momon nodded hearing Vivi's words.

"Looks like you have quite a story to tell. Why don't you sit down and tell us your story?"

"Certainly, Momon-san!"

Vivi then took a seat, and after a short introduction she began telling the group about how Ainz had saved her sister from brothel life by buying her off with his own money and fully healed her body with a sixth tier spell scroll. In return he had only asked Vivi to stay in this village for a while, and as some kind of bonus he had given her a tome of [Lightning] which she had been trying to learn. The other members of her team had followed her along on their own volition, and they all had been living here decently happy.

"So you believe Ainz is a good person?"

Momon repeated the same question he had asked before.

"Yes, of course! He had reunited me with my sister for practically nothing in return! I would have been willing to serve him forever, but instead he scolded me, telling that my own free will shouldn't be taken lightly. If that wasn't enough to tell that he was a good person, what would be?"

"I see your point"

Momon nodded as he spoke, and then Enri asked a question.

"Momon-san, if I may know, why have you been asking these? Did something bad happen?"

"Well, to tell the truth, these fellows here had an... unpleasant encounter with Ainz. Unfortunately none of us are allowed to tell you any more details than that"

Before Enri could respond to Momon, Hekkeran spoke up.

"Well, after hearing your stories, I came to think that everything has just been a misunderstanding. Do you guys think so?"

Hekkeran looked at the other members. There had been no misunderstanding at all in truth. The team had intruded Ainz's home and he simply just defended. It was thanks to his mercy that everyone here was still alive and well. Hekkeran spoke like that because that was the only way he could think of to prevent himself from leaking any information about the job. Now Hekkeran just hoped that the others would play along and agree with him.

Thankfully, they all seemed to understand his intention since all of them nodded. Enri was seemingly happy seeing their response.

"I'm glad that you understand! I believe if you get to know Gown-sama more you will see the light in him!"

"Perhaps, yeah. In any case, I think we should go now if we want to reach E-Rantel within today"

"Oh, alright. Do you need anything like food or water before you go?"

"We still have enough supplies, no worries about that"

"Alright then. Be careful out there"

After a farewell, the group walked back towards the front gate of the village. Nobody said anything about Ainz because they didn't want to risk any random villager overhearing what they said. Soon, they arrived and walked through the gate after one of the goblin guards noticed them and opened the gate.

"Alright, it is time to separate. I'll see you again soon, if you're still in E-Rantel by the time I return"

Momon said that as he went into the carriage. Hekkeran nodded and was about to walk away when suddenly Arche spoke.

"P-Please wait a moment!"

Everybody, including the ones driving the carriage, stopped and looked at Arche. She looked hesitant for a few seconds, but then she spoke again.

"Umm... may I... go back to Arwintar with the carriage?"

The rest of the team was surprised with Arche's sudden plea.

"Huh? Why, Arche? We have decided, right?"

Before anyone could respond or follow up with Hekkeran's question, Sheep spoke up.

"Your sisters, right?"

"Yeah... After hearing Vivi's story, I started to miss and worry about my sisters, and I felt that I had to return to them as soon as I can. I'm sorry, Sheep!"

Arche bowed deeply at Sheep, who immediately held her shoulders and gestured her to stand straight.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Arche. I miss Ryu-niichan too, so I know how you feel."

Sheep then looked at Hekkeran.

"Would you let her, Hekkeran?"

Hekkeran thought about the matter for a brief moment, and then he made a decision.

"Well, alright. Though... Rober"

"Yes, leader?"

"Go with her"

"Huh? Sure, but why?"

Roberdyck was naturally confused from the sudden order.

"Call it a hunch, but I feel that Arche might need a friend to be with her later"

Hekkeran's hunch was just that, a hunch. Since a while ago, he had deducted that Arche might be part of a noble family because Rossaur, the former noble back then, knew about her parents quite well. If Arche was from a noble family she should have no need to risk her life doing Worker jobs, but it would make sense if her parents were among the nobles purged by the Emperor in a way that they still lived but lost their wealth. Her family problem could be anything, but if Arche for some reason had become the breadwinner of the family and she intended to walk out from it with her sisters now, she would get resistance from her parents. Judging from stories about how bad nobles could be, Hekkeran didn't want her to face everything alone.

"You have no say in this, Arche. This is my condition if you want to go back to Arwintar with the carriage"

"If you say so..."

"Arche, I don't know what you will do after you leave your house, but I plan to stay in this village for about a month. If you need me later, you know where to find me"

"And me too!"

Imina suddenly followed up with Hekkeran's words. Seeing this, Arche smiled warmly.

"Thank you, both of you"

"Hey, I will accompany you as long as you need, so you can depend on me too!"

"I know, Roberdyck. Thank you too"

"Be careful out there, you two"

"You too, leader"

Both Arche and Roberdyck boarded the carriage while the rest of the team stood still looking at them. Soon, the carriage departed and the ones left behind stood there until the carriage disappeared from sight.

"Alright, let's go. If our pace is good, we should arrive by sundown"

With Hekkeran's command, the group began walking towards E-Rantel. They were very close towards reuniting Sheep with her brother, and they were looking forward to it happening.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ainz let out another sigh, which felt like the thousandth time he had done this overnight. He was now alone in the office room and he had nothing to do for the moment other than waiting.

 _I really should give Pandora's Actor more credit. If it had been me back there, I would have screwed things up royally._

Ainz was very glad that he had had Pandora's Actor take the role of Momon during the visit to Carne Village. The one biggest thing Ainz had noticed had been his reaction towards meeting Viviana. His reaction had been spot on and consistent with how the relationship between Momon and her had been so far.

 _Seriously, I would have forgotten that point and casually called her Viviana, which would have totally blown my cover!_

Ainz knew that Pandora's Actor, despite his eccentric and embarrassing behavior, was very intelligent. Ainz had seen every proof of that, and he really wanted him to have more active roles. But no matter what, Ainz still could not stand the embarrassing embodiment of his past mindset. He was in a lose-lose situation, having to choose between not utilizing his own creation to his fullest, or suffering perpetual embarrassment from his behavior.

 **Knock Knock Knock!**

Ainz heard someone knocking, and so he straightened his sitting posture. It was basic courtesy to sit upright while receiving visitors after all.

"Ainz-sama, Ryu's team has arrived"

Ainz could hear Albedo's usual calm and straight speech from behind the door. He was fully expecting the guests, and therefore he responded.

"You may come in"

The door opened, and behind the door was indeed Ryu's entire team of three and Albedo. All of them walked past the door and stopped right in front of Ainz's work table.

"Thank you, Albedo. Now, I need to speak with them alone."

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

Albedo bowed before walking away and closing the door. Now there were only Ainz and Ryu's team in the room. Not even stealth sentries were present, other than the spy inside Lily. Ainz then stood up and walked around the work table to directly face the group without any objects in between.

And suddenly Lily hugged him.

"Hello, Papa! I missed you!"

"Uh, yeah. Welcome home, Lily. I missed you too"

Ainz looked at Ryu, who was still standing there with a slightly weird expression, seemingly both happy and envious at the same time.

"Welcome to Nazarick again, Ryu and Alice"

"Thank you, Ainz-dono. So, what has happened that you need us here? Is there another Darker attack?"

"Actually, yes. But that was not why I wanted you here. Before we talk, let us have a seat there"

Once again, the group of people sat around the small conference table. Some snacks and drinks had been prepared there beforehand since this time the other three people present were humans with their basic needs, so it was a normal courtesy.

"Feel free to eat or drink anything on the table as we talk. First and foremost, I want to know the details of what happened during your recent job"

"Alright, now where should I begin..."

Ryu then began telling his story about the Adamantite Rank job to investigate the Sea Dragon supposedly turning randomly violent, from the beginning all the way to the end where they had to retreat from what had been seemingly a new Dark Falz. Ainz listened intently during all the time Ryu, sometimes Alice, was speaking, and he couldn't help feeling worried about this world.

"Infected merfolk and Kraken... and also a new Dark Falz. The situation of this world looks bleak now"

"But I'm concerned about something I observed from the Falz Angel"

"What is it?"

Ryu then told Ainz everything about how several things about the Falz Angel he had seen had not been consistent with the Falz Angel normally fought by ARKS, including the fact that the original host, Luther, was supposed to be out of the picture already.

"So you think there is a chance that it might have been a different being that happened to look similar, and might be actually not hostile?"

"Can't really ignore the possibility"

"Right, though we should still prepare in case the worse scenario is the true one. So, what is your plan for the near future?"

"I can't really do anything significant alone, so my plan for now is to go back to E-Rantel and be on guard for any possible Darker attack"

"Not a bad decision, but I do wonder why the ARKS fleet is still not here yet. Do they normally take this long?"

"No, they shouldn't take this long. I have no idea why"

"Is it possible, that the entire fleet has been annihilated by some other Dark Falz?"

"I don't think that can happen. They must be simply obstructed by something"

"I suppose there is no way to find out until something comes, hopefully the fleet"

"I'm afraid so..."

Ainz could notice how Ryu didn't want to admit the possibility of ARKS having been annihilated because pretty much multiple worlds out there, this one included, would have their existence in jeopardy if that was true. Ainz himself didn't want that to happen, because for once he finally had a place to call home, a place so much better than the hellhole he had been from before. Therefore, he made a firm decision.

 _If worse come to worst, I will guard Nazarick, or even the whole planet, with all I have. If I am destined to perish by whatever is out there, I will go down fighting. I guess that won't be a bad way to go._

"Anyway, let's have a break"

Ainz stood up and walked away from the small table. He stopped after a few steps, hesitating whether the next thing he was about to do would be a good idea. In the end, he decided to go for it.

"Lily, come with me for a second"

"Oh, alright, Papa!"

"As for you two, just get yourselves comfortable there. This shouldn't take long"

"Alright, sure"

Ryu's answer was straight, while Alice didn't say anything. For Ainz, her sleepy eyes somehow felt as if she was staring at him, full of suspicion. Ainz paid no heed to that, and he walked away as Lily followed her with somewhat happy and excited mood, which was a little hard to discern since her helmet covered every part of her head other than her mouth and chin.

Ainz brought Lily to his private bedroom. Like his office room before, there was nobody else present other than Lily and himself. No stealth sentries either, so it was certain that nobody other than the spy inside Lily would hear the two of them talking.

Ainz sat on his bed and let out a sigh, remembering that he would never get to make a full use of the furniture because of his undead nature. He immediately gestured Lily to sit beside him by patting the spot right next to him.

"Sit here, Lily"

Lily nodded, but before doing exactly that, she took her helmet off, fully revealing her adorable face and the long golden hair tied into ponytail. Ainz couldn't help feeling bewildered at how a totally randomized appearance could have resulted in such beauty.

After Lily sat down, Ainz put his hand on her shoulder and looked at her. Her curious eyes and smile made Ainz hesitate even more, but he had to do it.

"Lily, there is something that I want to confess to you"

"Huh, what is it, Papa?"

"..."

"Papa?"

"...Come out, Kashin Koji"

Immediately, a wisp of light came out from Lily's chest and manifested into the humanoid ninja creature Ainz knew. Lily, having evolved and gained a lot of skills including various resistances, did not get stunned by the spy coming out from her. But nevertheless, she naturally was surprised by what had just happened.

"W-What just happened? Who is this?"

The spy immediately kneeled in front of Ainz and bowed his head.

"My Lord"

"You are dismissed for now. Rest up, you earned it"

"Thank you, My Lord"

The spy then stood up and walked away from the room. Lily was still bewildered from what she had just seen, her mouth being agape as the spy closed the door on his way out.

"Lily..."

"Yes, Papa?"

"That was the spy I put inside you, so that I could watch over Ryu. From the beginning, I created you just to contain the spy so that I could keep Ryu under my surveillance. Nothing more than that"

"Papa..."

"I gave you all your equipment just because I didn't want to risk losing the spy container, that is you. I was not lying when I said that you only live once, because if you die you cannot be resurrected, unlike the others in here. But yeah... I gave those not out of love, but for my benefit"

Ainz let out a sigh, while Lily was speechless.

"I'm sorry, Lily. Like I once said before, I'm not the loving father you have been envisioning me as. I have never been. I'm just a manipulative one looking to exploit you for my own interest"

Ainz sighed again, and now there was a silence for half a minute.

"...Pfft!"

Suddenly, Lily laughed.

"What a great prank, Papa! You really got me for a second there!"

"Huh?"

"If Papa was really like that, you wouldn't have let me into this room back then and talked with me for hours! You wouldn't have let me sleep on your own bed and given me a goodnight kiss!"

"Ah, that's- Uff!"

Lily suddenly hugged Ainz from the side.

"I love you, Papa!"

"Ah..."

Ainz didn't speak in response, instead he just caressed Lily on the head. He let out yet another sigh, with one sentence going in his mind.

 _Just as planned._

Ainz had been thinking long and hard about the circumstances of the spy inside of Lily. He had no idea which part of the enchantments within her armor was the cause of the [Message] obstruction, and there was no good reason to give her another set of armor within this short time-frame, so replacing her armor was out of the question. In addition, having basically exhausted his stock of [Message] scrolls, the spy no longer had any use. Especially since Lily's natural level had become so high that [Reverse Assimilation] no longer made her any stronger. He also suspected that putting the spy back into Lily after resupplying the scrolls would be much harder since she now had a lot of skills and resistances which might outright prevent [Reverse Assimilation] from working altogether.

With all those in mind, Ainz had decided to just extract the spy and put him to work on some other fields rather than having him rot in there without any use. Ainz believed that privately confessing like this was the most efficient way to extract the spy, having no need to use any deception, spells, or such. Ainz also had judged from Lily's personality and rather blind love on him similar to other NPCs that he would face no repercussions from revealing the truth, and that was exactly what happened. He was glad that his prediction was spot on.

 _Now the only problem left is to prevent Ryu and Alice from knowing this, since unlike Lily they possibly won't take it well and that would reduce my standing. Not that I care much, but until I can be sure about the alliance I don't want to look bad in front of any ARKS._

"You know, Papa..."

"Yes?"

Lily released her hug and stood up gently. Her face now showed a warm smile instead of the cheerful grin she had had just before.

"Having a loving father like you... is like a dream. So..."

There was a brief silence as Lily walked away from the bed a few steps. She then stopped and looked back at Ainz over her shoulder, still showing the warm smile.

"I don't have to wake up from the dream... right?"

Without giving Ainz chance to respond, Lily put her helmet back on and began to walk away.

"Let's go back to the others, Papa."

Ainz froze up, having been caught by surprise by how Lily had just acted. For starters, that mellow tone of her as she spoke was a significant deviation from her cheerful and lively personality. Then she had just taken the initiative to prompt him to return to the others. That was very unlike any other NPCs of Nazarick. It was as if she was a real person with a free will of her own. Seeing this, Ainz began to doubt if he had done the right thing, and as the one who created her, he also began to feel guilty for it. A feeling he silently cursed as his emotion suppressor passive was not working now for some reason.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **The next chapter should bring Vol 7 to a close, and with that the story will fully cover a total of 8 volumes of the original Light Novel. One thing that intrigues myself is that a lot of plot points have changed significantly from my original plan when I wrote the early chapters nearly two years ago. To give some examples, Ryu's first companion was at first planned to be a male warrior instead of Lily, and there was no plan to add Alice to the main group. Meru/Rose was at first supposed to be alone in her whole journey instead of having Sheep/Hikaru as a guardian figure. There are still many other things, but it will take too long if I mention every single one of them.**

 **Speaking about original plan, I will drop the bomb here and say that my original plan was to end this story as a whole after covering Volume 9. Whether I will stick to it or not, I'm still not fully decided yet. One thing for sure is that this story will last for at least five more chapters after this one. I have a certain reason why I could give an exact number of chapters like that, and you can find that out pretty easily with some observation. ;)**

 **Nevertheless, I will see you again later.**


	60. Chapter 54: Standing Against Prejudice

**Hello, everyone. Here we are again.**

 **I guess I'm gonna take back some of my words in the previous chapter's afterword. Even if I stick to my original plan, I predict that the entirety of Volume 9 won't be covered in 5 chapters unless I accelerate the pacing into essentially breakneck speed. So yeah, fortunately or unfortunately, this fiction will last a little longer than that.**

 **On with the show, nevertheless. See you in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Bang!**

 **Splat!**

With a single shot to the head, I obliterated another merfolk who had been infected. Its head was reduced to bloody paste, and I sighed. Every single merfolk I had encountered so far had died with a single hit. At this rate there would be no purified survivors at all, and I felt bad for it.

" **This one believes, that was the last"**

Yup, no survivors.

I sighed once more and looked at the Sea Dragon who had been accompanying me throughout the entire hunt. The amount of infected merfolk I had eliminated was numerous, somewhere in the high hundreds. If not for his company and detection skills, the hunt would have lasted much longer.

"Are you sure, Fydan?"

During the hunt, we had talked about a lot of things including his full name: Fydan Erud Zimeon. He had told me to address him directly with just the first part, so I did exactly that. Thanks to him, I had learned a few things about this planet, which I temporarily referred as Pandora for the time being.

Indeed there were intelligent life on Pandora, including human civilization. Magic existed and was common, and the civilization level was on the low side, making Pandora overall very similar to Omega, the parallel world I had visited in the past. I didn't really want to remember it since my quest on Omega, despite the positive results, had also resulted in the emergence of Shiva.

" **This one is sure. This one no longer sense the evil energy"**

"Alright, that's good to hear"

" **Allow this one to express sincere gratitude to the other"**

"It was my job anyway, and I got useful information from you. So all is fair"

I sensed the photon within my body and confirmed that I could use Dark Blast again. Now that the hunt was over and I could fly again, it was time for me to go and resume my mission. Of course, it was proper to say goodbye before leaving, and therefore I was going to do that.

"Fydan, it's time-"

 **Beep! Beep!**

My words were cut short by the notification sound of my communication device. I gestured myself to tell Fydan to wait for a moment, though I was not sure if he understood.

Still, I wondered if Xiera had managed to calibrate the communication network to reach me even when my device was in safe mode right now. If that was the case, I must say that I was impressed because that was quick. Nevertheless, I put my hand on my ear to receive the coming message.

"...rdian. Ca... ou hear...?"

It was badly breaking out, but that voice was definitely Xiera.

"You're breaking out. I can barely hear you"

There was no immediate response to my reply, but I could hear some keyboard beeping sound from the other side.

 _ **Thud!**_

A sudden impact sound was heard, and I immediately wondered if Xiera banged at something there.

"Alright, Guardian. Listen up!"

Xiera's voice was loud and clear this time. Whatever she had just done, it worked.

"Unfortunately the calibration will take some more time, and so for now this one-way message will have to do. I hope you pay attention because I will say this only once"

Hearing what Xiera had just said, I focused myself to listen to whatever message was coming.

"The scouting system has been partially repaired, and you won't believe what readings it picked up just now! It picked up readings of Dark Falz Elder!"

Of course I couldn't believe what Xiera had just said. There was no way Elder could be running loose on Pandora, because like Luther, Elder was within me. I still felt his presence inside, so it must have been wrong info.

"I know that you are now thinking there must be a mistake. I do too! But the readings are too similar for it to be wrong. Therefore I assign you an urgent mission! Investigate the source of these readings! I'm sending you the coordinates now!"

Indeed, within seconds I received a packet of data containing the map of this planet along with a waypoint. The distance was quite far, some hundreds of clicks to the southeast, but it was a distance which could be covered by Dark Blast Loser within a fairly short time.

"I will keep you updated for any relevant thing we will find. Godspeed, Guardian! I hope we will be able to communicate properly soon!"

The transmission ended, and now I had a new mission. It was definitely time for me to go, therefore I looked at Fydan and began speaking my farewell.

"It's time for me to go. Thank you for your assistance, Fydan"

Fydan shook his head hearing my words.

" **This one is the one who should be grateful"**

"Heh, fine. Whatever you say. Goodbye, Fydan. May we meet again someday under better circumstances"

Fydan nodded as I stood straight, concentrating my energy.

 _ **Dark Blast Loser!**_

Once again, I transformed into an altered form of Falz Angel. I didn't worry about transforming right in front of Fydan because he already knew about this, thanks to our occasional talks during the hunt.

" **Farewell, Guardian Angel"**

I just laughed a bit in my mind hearing the nickname Fydan had given me thanks to this, then I immediately flew off to the surface, and finally the sky. With full speed, I flew straight to the coordinate Xiera had instructed me to investigate, hoping that it would be just a mistake.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ainz and Lily returned to the office room where Ryu and Alice were waiting. The two of them were still sitting on their seats when Ainz came in.

"I'm back, Ryu-san! Liz-san!"

"What did you two talk about?"

Ainz had expected that either Ryu or Alice would bring up that question, and in this case it was Ryu. Right now he was very worried because Lily's unexpected action back then had distracted him so much that he had forgotten to take measures against that question. At this point, Ainz was already prepared for the worst.

"It's a secret, between me and Papa!"

Lily surprisingly gave that kind of reply with a playful tone. Ainz now was really lost on the level of independence Lily had. Ryu on the other hand, didn't show any unusual reaction.

"Hmm, so be it then. By the way, Ainz-dono"

Ryu stood up and faced Ainz. His face seemed as if he had made an important decision. Ainz did not expect this to happen, and somehow a feeling of worry began creeping up his mind.

"Yes? Is something the matter?"

"I... just wonder... Have you been watching us through Lily somehow?"

 _The hell?_

Ainz was quite surprised with Ryu's question, since it was pretty much at the same level as the worst case scenario. Lying to cover himself up would definitely make him look bad since now Lily knew the truth and possibly would rat him out.

 _I have screwed up badly again!_

Ainz realized that he had made a big mistake. He only had taken into account the short term efficiency for extracting the spy, and he had failed to take measures because of the surprising distraction. Basically, now his only option was to just confess everything again.

"Uhh... yes. I-"

Ainz really was about to spill the beans, but suddenly Ryu raised his hand.

"Ah, pardon me for interrupting, but please say no more and continue your surveillance as is"

"Eh?"

"As allies against Darkers and Dark Falz, I believe we need to watch each other's backs in one way or another. Moreover, your surveillance on us has saved us multiple times, right?"

Ainz wouldn't deny that last statement. Without the spy inside her, Lily would have been dead since a long time ago. For the same reason, Carne Village would have had casualties including Nfirea, a decently valuable person. All of those had been prevented because the spy, either the deceased Eight Edge Assassin or the Kashin Koji, had informed him so he could have taken the necessary actions.

"Ah yes, indeed that is true. Though unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you take it, my surveillance method has expired and for some technical reasons I am unable to replace it"

"I see. Can't be helped then"

"Ryu, I have been spying on you all this time and you seem to take it well. I cannot help but wondering about that"

"In ARKS, there are operators who always watch each and every operatives like myself during missions. What you did was not that different. Though to be honest, it is indeed unsettling to know that you have been watching us during rest time which should be private"

Alice, who was still sitting on her seat, seemed to be mildly dejected upon hearing Ryu's words. It was noticeable that her face became slightly flushed in red. It took Ainz just a few seconds to realize the implications. Both Lily and Alice were girls, so it was a given that they probably took showers together...

 _Nonononono! I have to divert the topic quickly!_

"A-Anyway! Regarding the matter about the possible new Dark Falz, are there anything else you want to say?"

Ryu seemed to think for a brief moment, and then he shook his head.

"I think I have said everything, unless I forgot one thing or two"

"Ah, there is one thing that I am concerned with"

Alice suddenly spoke, with her face having reverted back to her usual stoic expression.

"Hmm, let's hear it"

After Ainz said that, everyone in the room sat down on their respective seats. After everyone settled down, Alice began speaking.

"There's still no telling whether the mysterious creature was a Dark Falz or not, but whatever it is, with that kind of look I worry that people might mistake it for an actual angel. And an extremely high-ranking one at that."

Ainz thought on Alice's words for a moment. He had learned a few things about this world, and indeed her worry held a point. People of this world regarded angels in very high regard to the point of having religions essentially worshipping them alongside the "Four Great Gods" and the "Six Great Gods". If Ainz compared it with the religions of his old world, angels in this new world were regarded overall higher than on Earth. Worse came to worst, that Falz Angel would possibly become a public figure akin to Jesus Christ, and that meant fighting against it would bring a significant political disadvantage.

"Hmm, you do have a point. So far, nobody else knows about it, right?"

Ryu then was the one replying to Ainz's question.

"No, we omitted anything about the Falz Angel or whatever that was from our report to the guild. I didn't want to cause unnecessary panic. So only those in this room and the Sea Dragon have seen it so far"

"A good decision. For now, I will up my surveillance and keep eyes open for that creature. Better hope that the creature would never show up in public"

Everyone else nodded hearing Ainz's words, and Ainz spoke again.

"By the way, Ryu"

"Yes, Ainz-dono?"

"Settle down in E-Rantel for a while. Something good might happen soon"

"Huh? Well, that was my plan from the start. But what something good?"

"You will see. Just never leave the city until it happens"

Ryu smiled a little hearing Ainz's words. He seemed to have figured something out, but Ainz didn't really intend to keep it a secret anyway. Ainz just wanted to surprise Ryu a bit.

"You really sound like you know something I don't, Ainz-dono. But alright, I won't ask anything more"

Ainz nodded, and all four of them stood up. He then immediately raised his hand towards an empty spot.

[Gate]

"Be careful out there. I no longer can watch you properly, so I am less likely to come to your aid if something bad happens"

"You too, Ainz-dono"

Ryu and Ainz shook hands, and then he stepped into the portal. Alice just bowed as a sign of respect before following Ryu, and Lily gave Ainz a quick hug.

"See you later, Papa!"

Ainz just nodded as Lily jumped into the portal. After making sure that everyone had gone through, Ainz dispelled the portal and sat down on his seat, once again letting out a big sigh.

 _Somehow, I made it._

Ainz felt relieved that somehow he had made it through the problems with little to no bad consequence. It could have been thanks to Ryu being an overall nice and trusting person, though it seemed he had grown out of it a little. The biggest wonder Ainz had seen this morning had been Lily's behaviour back then, which had essentially broken the general rule of how NPCs behaved. Ainz was very interested on this matter, but he had no idea how to find out since there had never been any documented case of Loyal Dog evolving into Devoted Dog.

 _In any case, once Ryu meets his sister, securing alliance with at least that particular group should be accomplished._

Ainz slouched on his seat. There were still many things to do, but he wanted to rest his mind again, even for just a few seconds.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Look! That should be E-Rantel!"

Hekkeran declared in excitement after seeing the sight of a walled city. The group of four had been walking in a quite fast pace in order to avoid having to camp out in the wilderness, and thankfully they made it. Right now the sun was already near the horizon, but judging from its current position they still had about an hour before the day became dark.

"Whew, I guess all that walking was worth it"

Imina said the remark while looking visibly exhausted. With the fast pace and minimal break time, even seasoned adventurers would feel the exhaustion.

"Yeah, that's definitely it"

Rose said that with her arms folded. She had just looked around, seemingly checking if the surroundings felt familiar for her.

"Ryu-niichan is there, huh...?"

Sheep's face showed a rather hopeful expression. It was natural, since she had been looking for her brother for who knew how long, and now he was within reach. Knowing that, Hekkeran felt that he had to find Sheep's brother within this day.

"Alright, since the day is still bright enough, let's go to the city's Adventurer Guild and ask about your brother. Though by the way..."

"Hmm...?"

"None of us have brought this up for some reason, but I wonder if we should keep calling you Sheep, or address you with your real name"

Sheep smiled with a quick small exhale of breath, as if she had just done a restrained laugh.

"Heh, call me with whichever you like. My friends in ARKS call me Sheep, while my brothers call me Hikaru. I'm fine with any"

"Uhh, alright. Sheep it is, then"

From her answer, Hekkeran came into conclusion that it would be better to keep addressing her with the nickname Sheep. Despite her consent, it seemed that addressing her with her real name was exclusive to her siblings, and thus it wouldn't feel right if he started calling her Hikaru.

The group then walked to the closest entry gate of E-Rantel. Thankfully they didn't face any hindrances to enter the city. Of course, the guards noticed the gear they wore and the way they carried themselves, and naturally assumed they were there to become adventurers, which made the guards see the group favorably. Between that, and the beauties in the group, they seemed more than willing to assist the group.

"Alright, you may enter. Welcome to E-Rantel"

"Thanks. By the way, do you know the way to the Adventurer's Guild?"

"Oh, sure"

The gate officer then explained to Hekkeran's group the directions to reach their destination, seemingly validating their earlier assumption. While this was happening, a man dressed in a fairly fancy robe walked past them into the city, seemingly having quite a worried expression as he quickly raised his pace soon after. The group paid little heed to this robed man, and kept listening to the officer in charge.

Soon, they were done with the gate procedures and filled out the necessary information, and walked in without a hitch. The distance to the guild building was quite far, while both Hekkeran and Imina were already quite exhausted from their trip. Therefore, the group as a whole walked in a rather slow pace.

"I kinda envy you both"

"Hahaha, yeah. But please don't take it wrong"

Hekkeran and Imina spoke their remark on how both Rose and Sheep didn't show any sign of exhaustion from all the walking, which turned out to be another feature of their equipment. To put it simply, their equipment helped to preserve stamina in some way, enabling them to walk pretty much all day without resting.

"Hey, we've known each other for quite a while. Of course we know you meant nothing bad"

Rose spoke with quite a cheerful tone, glancing at Sheep to see if she shared her view. Sheep just laughed a bit with a slight smile. Hekkeran was still quite impressed on how Rose had broken out from her past trauma, transforming from a shy and scared girl to a confident and cheerful one. He had been wondering about it, but he believed that bringing up someone else's old wounds was not a good idea, so he would just let it be.

"And moreover..."

Sheep spoke, but she hesitated. Hekkeran couldn't help wondering, so he inquired.

"Moreover what, Sheep?"

"I do really want to see Ryu-niichan, but I'm afraid that he will be angry seeing me"

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, he won't take it well if he knows I came all the way here putting myself into danger"

"Oh.. Well, can't help you with that, unfortunately"

"Yeah, I know. That will be just between me and Ryu-niichan. Maybe he will smack me on the head at worst"

"That sounds mean if you ask me"

Imina spoke her opinion, but Sheep quickly shook her head and pointed at her hat.

"With my hat still on"

The other three in the group couldn't immediately understand what she meant, so there was a brief moment of silence.

"...Pfft!"

Imina burst out laughing, seemingly the first one to understand.

"With that kind of hat on your head, he would only make 'Pomf! Pomf!' sound"

The other two took another look at Sheep's fluffy hat before finally getting it and laughed as well. Nevertheless, the group took their time walking towards the Adventurer's Guild, failing to notice that the amount of civilians around got lesser and lesser the closer they got to the guild building.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Pluton Ainzach's Office, 15 minutes before present time.**

Pluton Ainzach, the Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild of E-Rantel, thoughtfully looked out the window of his office. The sun was already setting and the sky would become dark really soon, which meant it was time for him to call it a day and close office. This day had been quite a big one, mainly because the Adamantite Rank team Ignite Maximus had returned from their job. Having heard the report about Darker infection spreading all the way to the western ocean, and the battle costing the Kingdom's entire main naval forces, Ainzach couldn't help worrying about the future.

The news of the Kingdom significantly losing its naval military strength would eventually spread, and it would be a huge blow against the Kingdom in many aspects. It might be just a matter of time until the influence of the bad news brought the downfall of the Kingdom, and Ainzach would have to think of a way to continue living once that happened.

However, before Ainzach could ponder about it further...

 **Blam!**

The door to Ainzach's office suddenly and violently opened. Ainzach was of course surprised by this, but he quickly lowered his guard a little after seeing that the one behind the door was his long time friend Theo Rakheshir, the guildmaster of the Magician's Guild of E-Rantel. Still, Rakheshir having a worried expression never meant anything good.

"Bad news, Pluton!"

"What is it, Theo?"

"A demon is infiltrating the city!"

"What!? Could it be the same one who attacked the capital?"

"I don't know! But this city is doomed!"

Ainzach could see clearly that Rakheshir was panicked out of his wits. It was natural, since a single demon had the capability to turn an entire city into wasteland. But no good information would come from a panicked man, so Ainzach had to do something to calm Rakheshir down.

"Theo, sit down there, take a deep breath, and calmly tell me how you came into that conclusion"

Theo did exactly as Ainzach had asked him to do, and then he began speaking.

"I was coming home from a trip, and I saw this group at the gate. One man, three girls. They looked like a bunch of quite strong people, maybe around Mithril Rank if I must say from their equipment. The guy asked the officer about where the Adventurer's Guild is"

"So far sounds like either a group aspiring to be adventurers, or some adventurers from another town coming for some business"

"Yes, Pluton. Anyone would assume that at first look, but I felt something on one of the three girls. I felt traces of illusion magic lingering on her, so I discreetly used [Lesser True Sight] on myself to see what she was hiding with the spell"

"What did you see?"

"Horns! That girl has multiple horns growing out of her head! She must be a demon trying to infiltrate the city and destroy it from within!"

Hearing what his old friend said, Ainzach stood up in full alert. Any possibility of demon presence, especially after what had happened to the capital, should be taken seriously. Nobody wanted another city within the Kingdom to become another victim to demonic invasion. The capital had survived thanks to the Adamantite Rank teams Darkness and Ignite Maximus having been there to fight off the demons and allegedly Darkers which had joined the fray. There were no evidence about the latter, but after knowing about what had happened at the western ocean, might as well assume it to be true.

Nevertheless, the situation at E-Rantel was worse since Darkness was currently not in town and Ignite Maximus was probably not in prime condition, having just returned from a tough job. But no matter what, something had to be done against the invading demon.

"Theo, do you have any spell to dispel the illusion?"

"It's just a second tier illusion. I can dispel it easily"

"Hmm, alright. Here's what I need you to do..."

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Outside Adventurer's Guild Building. Present Time.**

Rakheshir was highly nervous, and the same could apply to the adventurers around. In response to the current situation, Ainzach had announced an emergency job to all adventurers present in the guild, which was unfortunately not many, and at best only Platinum Rank. Of course anyone would be nervous knowing that they would be facing a demon soon unless they were of the same caliber as Darkness or Ignite Maximus, and it was a fact that none of them were.

The general objective of the adventurers was not victory, which would be a miracle if that somehow happened. Instead, their goal was to buy time while Ainzach hurried over to Shining Golden Pavilion Inn and get the Ignite Maximus team to come. With Darkness being out of town, Ignite Maximus was the city's only hope for survival.

As for Rakheshir himself, he had a personal objective to verify whether the other three people walking along the demon were merely unsuspecting innocent people or her partners in crime. Further actions would depend on which case it would be.

Right now, all the participating adventurers of at least Silver Rank were in position. Those of Copper and Iron Rank had been tasked to discreetly evacuate civilians with some false news to prevent panic from spreading and risk the demon noticing. Even with all the preparations within the short notice, Rakheshir could only hope that Ainzach would find Ignite Maximus as soon as possible, since in the end every people here would be no match to a demon.

Before long, Rakheshir noticed the group in question coming from around the corner. The distance was still quite far, but it was easy to notice a group of one guy and three girls. The way they walked was very natural, nobody would suspect that one of them, particularly the girl with long black hair, was a demon hiding her sinister horns with illusion magic.

Rakheshir prepared a spell which he would cast at the demon to dispel the illusion coating her horns. After the horns were exposed, he would pay attention to the reaction of the other three. Even if just for a very short moment, they would show a natural reaction, and through that reaction he could determine whether they were in cahoots with the demon or not.

Still, Rakheshir couldn't help worrying that this would be a mistake. But what other options did he have? He believed that he had none, so he proceeded with the plan.

[Shed Minor Illusion]

Rakheshir casted the spell right towards the demon's head. The spell was a type which hit directly and instantly without any kind of visible projectile, so within that instant the demon's horns were revealed, along with the left eye showing a blazing red color.

"D-Demon!"

As planned, a Gold Rank adventurer shouted from the top of his lungs while pointing at the demon. Rakheshir focused his attention to the three companions to see their reaction, and it only took him seconds to recognize their reaction. They reacted as if they had been found out. The three persons were in cahoots with the demon.

[Sparks: Red]

Rakheshir casted a low tier spell which shot out harmless sparks of red light to the sky as a signal for all adventurers to attack all four of them. By allying with a demon, the other three had essentially forfeited their rights to live, so if the adventurers could eliminate or incapacitate at least one, they would shave some works off from Ignite Maximus later, and that would be a good thing to increase their chance of victory.

 _Pluton, please get them here soon!_

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **The Wilderness. Several Hours Before Present Time.**

Hekkeran, Imina, Rose, and Sheep were walking in a pretty fast pace. Their destination was E-Rantel, the city where Sheep's brother currently lived. Right now, Hekkeran just remembered something worrying, so he spoke to the others.

"Guys, I just realized something. Now that Arche isn't here, there's nobody to maintain the illusion spell on Sheep"

The other three looked at each other, and they immediately looked worried.

"Oh, crap. If the spell expires in public we will be in trouble"

Sheep let out a sigh after hearing Imina's words.

"Why are people everywhere so filled with prejudice just because of my horns...?"

"Can't be helped, Sheep. Demons utterly devastated all lands 200 years ago just because they could, and recently this Kingdom's capital barely survived the rampage of one single demon. Hmm..."

Hekkeran went into thought while muttering incoherent words in low voice. He then seemed to came up with something and turned to resume speaking to Sheep.

"You once told us that your greatest enemy was Dark Falz, wasn't it? Think of it like this, what if a Dark Falz is able to take a human form and infiltrate your hometown? If one such Dark Falz is found in the middle of the city, every ARKS would attack to protect the city, wouldn't they?"

"Pfft"

Sheep laughed hearing Hekkeran's words. Hekkeran and Imina couldn't help getting confused.

"Did I say something funny?"

"Nah, not really. I just found it funny because actually there is one Dark Falz who can do that. It's complicated, so let's put it aside. I get your meaning, though"

Hekkeran smiled and nodded, feeling glad that Sheep could understand his meaning. Rose, who had been listening silently, then spoke out.

"In other words, we need a plan just in case, right?"

Hekkeran folded his arms, thinking more about the situation. Indeed, they needed a plan in case things turned south. The city would probably fall into panic and chaos if Sheep's horns were revealed in public. Worse, they might get attacked by adventurers. Sheep and Rose would brush off any attack thrown into them, but the same wouldn't apply to Hekkeran and Imina. They needed some plan to save themselves from possible harm.

"Right. Ideally, we would just go to the guild and meet Ryu there, but things never really go that smoothly"

"I'm all in for any plan we can come up with, but sadly I can't think of one"

"Hmm... I actually just thought of one, but... you might not really like it, Sheep"

"I can't say whether I like it or not until you tell me, Hekkeran"

"If the people are gonna consider you a demon, might as well not deny it"

The other three were confused hearing Hekkeran's words.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Pardon?"

Hekkeran, seemingly ignoring the other three's confusion, continued speaking.

"Sheep, Rose, do you have any flashy moves?"

The other three were still confused.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Outside Adventurer's Guild Building. Present Time.**

The adventurers saw the signal fired by Rakheshir. Red light meant that all four of the suspects were fair game, but despite that they were aware that they still had to be cautious. After all, they had heard the news of a single demon wrecking the capital and it had taken two Adamantite Rank teams to drive him off. They became even more cautious after seeing the demon, and the red-haired girl next to her, pulling out their weapons seemingly out of thin air. The demon had a very sinister-looking bow, while the red-haired girl had a very mystical-looking magic staff which could have been a halberd as well with that size.

The demon drew her bow and aimed straight up. Immediately, she released a large energy bolt which quickly zoomed to the fairly dark sky.

 **BOOM!**

A huge fiery explosion occured high in the sky right at the spot where the energy bolt was. For a brief moment, everything was bright as if it was day. Nobody had been harmed by the explosion thanks to it having been very high up, but all adventurers froze up, knowing what that meant.

It was a very clear warning that the demon was capable of blowing up the entire city within an instant. Any act of hostility would be responded with such deadly force which would definitely end the history of E-Rantel.

While all the people around were frozen in awe, the sole guy of the demon's group stepped forward and began speaking.

" **Hear me people! We are here not to cause unnecessary deaths! Your demise is not our goal!"**

Nobody responded to the man's speech, and so he simply continued.

" **Our goal is to find a certain person! As long as we can find this person, no one will be harmed!"**

Rakheshir, feeling that someone on this side had to take on the role of a representative, stepped forward. He was scared out of his wits, but still tried to act calm. He raised his arm, signaling the adventurers to hold positions, and perhaps also signaling the speaking man that he would be the representative of this city for now.

"L-Let me introduce myself. I am the guildmaster of this city's Magician's Guild, Theo Rakheshir. If we can come into a peaceful resolution, we will be glad to comply. So, would you tell us who the person you are looking for is?"

The man nodded, showing a rather relieved expression.

"Thank you for your understanding. We are looking for the leader of Ignite Maximus; Ryu Seika"

Whispers could be heard among the adventurers the moment they heard the name. Only newbie adventurers would not know the name of the only man who could rival the hero Momon. If a demon was specifically looking for him, it was highly likely to be a quest for revenge because of something he had done to the demon in the past. The possibility was high that the moment Ryu arrived, a massive fight would break out and cause great destruction.

Rakheshir proceeded to speak the truth anyway, since he felt that lying would be a bad idea against such a powerful demon.

"A-Actually, he should be here soon. But what are you going to do with him?"

Before Rakheshir could get an answer to the question, some cheers could be heard from the crowd of adventurers behind. He looked back and saw three familiar flying figures landing near. Ignite Maximus has arrived.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Shining Golden Pavilion. A Couple Minutes Before Present Time.**

All three of Ryu's group were sitting idly in their room. They had arrived recently after walking around town, seeing if they could figure out what 'something good' would happen in the near future, but unfortunately they had not found anything.

"I really wonder what Ainz meant"

"Me too, Ryu-san. I have no idea what Papa wanted to show us"

Alice didn't say anything yet. Her eyes were as sleepy as usual, but it could be felt that she was in a deep thought.

"I'm not sure if whatever is going to happen would be good for us. Isn't it a possibility that it might be good for him, but not us?"

Ryu couldn't deny Alice's remark. Despite having promised to be an ally, Ainz was no saint. There had to be something he expected in return. For now, Ryu could consider the Photon Disks he had given to Ainz way back then as some sort of payment, but he had no idea whether that had been enough or not. Ainz had said that it was him who owed Ryu, but time had passed and many things had happened. His stance might not be completely the same anymore.

 **Bang! Bang!**

Suddenly everyone heard someone banging at the door of their room.

"Ryu-kun! Are you there?"

It was hard for Ryu to recognize the voice behind the door, but from the way the man spoke, Ryu could guess who it was.

"Ainzach-dono?"

Ryu quickly opened the door. Behind it was Ainzach, who looked very worried.

"A demon is coming to the guild!"

"What?"

Ryu was surprised hearing what Ainzach had just said. The same applied to Lily and Alice. Could it be that Ainz had decided to repeat what he had done in Re-Estize, but with E-Rantel as the new target?

"Please protect the city! You will be rewarded anything the guild can afford!"

Before Ryu could give any answer, suddenly Lily shouted.

"Ryu-san! Look!"

Lily was right next to the room's window, pointing outside. The window was large enough for Ryu to see what was going on outside without having to move from his position, but he still rushed towards the window to see more clearly.

"Oh my-"

 **BOOM!**

A huge explosion of fire occured high in the sky, following a large bolt of energy zooming straight upwards. For Ryu, the sight was like a massive ugly firework from hell. Whatever was causing this must be very strong.

"We will talk later, Ainzach-dono! Lily, Liz, let's go!"

Lily and Alice nodded, and all three jumped off from the window and used their flight spell to go straight towards the place where the bolt had been fired from. The location was right in front of the guild building, and Ryu saw that a bunch of adventurers were spread across the location, being in full alert but not moving. Several of them cheered when they noticed Ryu's team landing, but Ryu paid no heed and headed straight to one person he noticed; Theo Rakheshir. He seemed to be in a conversation with a man who seemed to be another adventurer. Rakheshir noticed Ryu's group coming and looked very delighted.

"Ryu-dono! You're here!"

"What's going on here? Where is the enemy?"

"T-This man said they are looking for you"

"Huh? Me?"

Ryu looked at the other man, who seemed to be delighted as well as he began speaking.

"So you are Ryu Seika?"

"Yes, I am. What do you need from me?"

"I believe it is better if you see for yourself"

The man then moved aside, revealing a group of people behind him. Ryu saw a woman he didn't know, but he quickly froze up seeing the other two, especially the last one.

"It... can't be..."

Ryu couldn't believe his sight. One of the other two was Rose, and the other was Hikaru, his own sister. Their eyes met for a moment, and Hikaru quickly ran straight to him. Ryu was still frozen up as this was happening, and Hikaru was just a few meters more from jump-hugging him.

However...

"B-Bind!"

Rakheshir casted a spell which conjured a magic shackle connecting Hikaru's ankles together. The sudden bindings put Hikaru off balance, making her tripped and fell flat on her face with a thud sound.

"N-Now, Ryu-dono! Please kill the demon!"

Ryu just looked at Rakheshir without speaking any words. His own face showed a mixture of disbelief and rage. He walked to Rakheshir, and without any warning...

 **WHAM!**

Ryu punched Rakheshir in the face with all his might. Rakheshir fell down to the ground, having no idea why Ryu had just done that.

 **WHAM! WHAM! BAM!**

Ryu stomped at Rakheshir's face repeatedly.

" **What... have... you... done... TO MY SISTER!?"**

 **SMACK!**

Ryu stomped at Rakheshir's chest this time and didn't let go. As the result, Rakheshir could barely speak as he barely could breathe to begin with.

"Gah-! S-Sister? B-But _*cough*_ ...the horns-"

" **Horns... Horns..."**

 **BAM!**

Ryu stomped on Rakheshir's face again.

" **AAAARGH! Why are every fucking people like this!? Hikaru has been robbed off her humanity by a madman, and now she has to be faced with prejudice!"**

 **WHAM! POW! BAM! BWAK!**

Ryu stomped and kicked Rakheshir repeatedly, fully filled with rage. All other people around could only watch in silence, having no courage to stop him.

"I-I'm... ugh! ...sorry! I thought... I thought _*cough*_ she was about to attack you!"

Rakheshir pleaded for mercy while struggling to even breathe, and Ryu paused his act of violence.

" **Sorry? You're sorry, huh? Is it because it is painful? YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH MORE PAINFUL IT HAS BEEN TO HIKARU!"**

 **SMACK! WHAM! BWAK! POW!**

" **JUST DIE YOU BIGOTED, PREJUDICED, RACIST PIECE OF SHIT! THIS UNIVERSE WILL BE BETTER WITHOUT YOU!"**

Suddenly, while Ryu was still raging, Lily put herself between him and Rakheshir.

"No more, Ryu-san. He's not worth it"

Ryu didn't say anything. He just breathed very heavily, trying not to mentally explode again.

"Look"

Lily said it while gesturing Ryu to look behind. Ryu did so, and saw Hikaru standing straight looking at him. Alice was right beside her, seemingly having dispelled whatever magic Rakheshir had casted. Her face was still pristine despite having fallen flat on her face, thanks to photon armor.

"Oniichan..."

Ryu, still being speechless, opened his arms for Hikaru, who immediately ran to him again. This time, nobody got in the way, and the two hugged each other tightly.

"Oniichan! I thought I've lost you!"

Ryu didn't speak at all, but it could be noticed that he was trying very hard not to cry. All other people around were touched by the scene of reunion presented to them, and some even cried.

 **Clap! Clap!**

One adventurer began giving an applause, and it only took seconds until all people around followed, resulting in a big applause all around. Everybody for once seemed to forget that just a few minutes ago they had been in fear for their lives.

And sadly, nobody remembered about Rakheshir, who was still lying on the ground after having been badly beaten up.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **The two siblings are finally reunited, though with the cost of publicly displaying Ryu's major flaw as a person. He will have to face consequences later, though what the consequences will be is still a mystery. Meanwhile, Guardian will soon have a possible encounter with Elder. What event will eventually unfold there?**

 **Coming up next will be the chapter to officially begin Volume 9, which will have a lot of changes. Look forward to it and see you again later.**


	61. Chapter 55: Truth About Deuman

**Hello again, all those who have been following this story.**

 **I have added a new picture to the spoilerific sub-gallery to show the looks of something that appears in this chapter.**

 **Other than that, on with the show. See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **The Skies of New World. Unspecified Time.**

The morning was still young on this particular region of New World. The weather was fair and there were few clouds spread across the sky. This was the time in which most people would begin their daily activities. Yet right now an angel-like figure was flying straight at high speed and altitude.

This was Guardian, the ARKS operative currently on a solo mission to search and retrieve another ARKS named Mel Rose somewhere in the New World, a planet which Guardian nicknamed "Pandora" for the time being. The mission was supposedly simple, but the circumstances and unfolding events so far had made it not-so-simple. After having to hunt down infected merfolk under the ocean for a while, a sudden mission had popped up; readings of Dark Falz Elder had been detected and now Guardian had to investigate.

Despite being regarded as a hero among ARKS, Guardian was still a human with basic needs. All humans had a very basic, yet mandatory need called sleep, and Guardian had not slept at all last night thanks to the hunt.

And yet, despite the tiredness, Guardian still pressed on...

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _*Yawn*_

I felt really sleepy, having hunted infected merfolk for hours without rest. I really could use some sleep, but now I had an urgent mission. I couldn't really blame Xiera, since she had no idea what I had been doing all this time. No thanks to the communications not having been properly calibrated yet.

Nevertheless, this urgent mission raised a number of questions. Just what is this supposedly Dark Falz Elder actually is? How and why such readings could appear on Pandora? Since this flight would take a little while, I thought it wouldn't hurt to directly ask the Dark Falz Elder within me.

" _Hey, Gettemhart. You're still there, right?"_

" _Of course I am? Where else I can go anyway?"_

As expected, Gettemhart, formerly known as Dark Falz Elder, sounded displeased as he answered.

" _Any ideas about this?"_

" _Do I look like someone with ideas?"_

I just internally rolled my eyes hearing his answer.

" _Heh, of course"_

" _Just go there, see for yourself, and kick their ass"_

That's Gettemhart for you, always thinking that violence would solve everything. Nevertheless, since the designated area was already close enough, I decided to land by reverting back to my human form and free falling down to the ground. Normal humans would definitely die falling from this height, but all ARKS operatives including myself could fully depend on our photon armor to completely prevent fall damage.

 **BAM!**

Still, it was natural that free falling from that height would make a significant impact to the ground around me. I had a smooth landing on my feet anyway, so I just stood up without care and began looking around. The environment around me was a relatively lush forest. There were no signs of intelligent life within sight, and no visible wild animals either.

I opened my photon interface to check on my position and the distance towards the designated coordinate. The distance was close enough for me to get there within a few minutes, and so I decided to do so immediately. I summoned my assault rifle from my photon inventory and did the mobility Photon Art.

 _Shift-Nachtangriff!_

 **ZOOM!**

As I had predicted, I arrived at the designated coordinate within a couple minutes. After cancelling the Photon Art and putting my rifle back to inventory, I activated my photon interface and looked around. Indeed, this area had lingering Darker Factor readings, and also traces of a Dark Falz having been present in the area. The latter point was very intriguing since supposedly there should not be any genuine Dark Falz left other than clones made by Profound Darkness, yet this reading I detected right now had a positive match with genuine Dark Falz Elder.

I was unable to think clearly about the findings. The exhaustion was starting to seriously overwhelm me, and so I decided to turn the interface off and sit down on the ground right under a tree. Despite the Darker traces, the place still felt comfortable somehow. Perhaps it really was, or my mind and body were already desperate for some rest that anything would feel comfortable.

I was already drifting into sleep state when suddenly...

" _Oi! We got company!"_

I was quite surprised by Gettemhart's sudden warning. It was so unlike him to warn me like that. Nevertheless, I immediately stood up in full alert to see who was coming. I got my answer soon, and there was no way I would believe my eyes on what I saw.

From behind the trees, a very familiar figure calmly walked to me. It looked exactly the same as Gettemhart from the time when Dark Falz Elder was still the dominant mind. I wanted to think that this Elder was a clone, but its behaviour of not being immediately and aggressively hostile spoke otherwise.

Without giving me a chance to think further, Elder stopped, folded his arms, and began speaking.

"Another ARKS, eh? Here to hunt me down?"

 _Did he just say 'another'? Does that mean he has met Mel Rose?_

Those two questions popped up in my mind, but there was no way Elder would merely call me 'another ARKS' if he had met Mel Rose. I got no chance to think about it further anyway because suddenly Gettemhart shouted from inside.

" _That's not me! But that's me!"_

Gettemhart's words made my head hurt, but it somewhat made sense. There was no way a clone made by Profound Darkness would behave like that, which meant this Elder was genuine. But there was no way this Elder could be genuine since Gettemhart, the one and only Dark Falz Elder, was still within me. Nevertheless, I spoke to answer Elder's question.

"That was not my primary objective, but your appearance here can't be left alone"

As I spoke, I took my rifle from my inventory and pointed it at Elder.

"Your bravery is commendable. I shall entertain that resolve"

Elder then immediately transformed into his Falz Hunar form and flexed his shoulder, as he always did every time.

" _Hey, chump! Use my power! I want to kick that jerk's ass!"_

" _What did you just call me!?"_

" _You may be a Guardian of ARKS now, but to me you are still a newbie chump. Come on!"_

" _Uuuurgh! Fine!"_

I threw my rifle away, making it disappear back into my photon inventory, and folded my arms standing straight. A red fiery aura emerged around my body as I unleashed Gettemhart's power.

 _ **Dark Blast Elder!**_

A blood red vortex engulfed me, and my body transformed into an altered form of Falz Hunar. Compared to Falz Hunar, my Elder form was bigger, being five meters tall and more human-like in body shape, but with a long tail similar to a lizard's. This form also had more prominent wings than Hunar, which unfortunately were still only decorations. Lastly, unlike Falz Hunar, this form didn't have a sword, so punching and kicking were all it could do.

But this form was very good at those.

" **HA!"**

I immediately launched myself at Elder, who seemed to be caught by surprise, and used this form's mainstay attack move.

 _Infinity Rush!_

 **Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!**

I punched Elder over and over in very quick succession. My wings shined brightly with energy after two seconds of punching, and my punches became even stronger.

" _ORA_ _ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA! Hahahaha!"_

Gettemhart sounded really excited down there, leaving me wondering where the hell he got that kind of shouting from. Nevertheless, I finished the attack move with one hard straight punch.

" _Not yet! Keep going!"_

I followed up with a roundhouse kick which is then quickly followed with a jumping uppercut which launched Elder alongside me. Not giving any chance, I did a vertical diving punch straight at his chest core, sending both of us towards the ground.

 **BOOOM!**

A huge explosion occured, decimating every object within a large radius around the point of impact.

" _Time for the big finish!"_

I jumped back away from Elder who quickly stood up, gathered energy around my fists, and launched all of them in one go.

 _ **Ultimate Impact!**_

 **BWOOOOM!**

The attack I launched took form as a huge shockwave. Elder was engulfed in it, along with every object behind. When the dust settled just seconds later, I finally realized that all the fighting I had just done had basically changed the surrounding landscape. Now everything around me was no better than an utterly devastated wasteland. Right at the spot where Elder had been, there was him lying down and defeated, already back in his human host form.

" _What have we just done!?"_

" _We kicked his ass! That's what!"_

" _Don't you realize that we have just destroyed an entire forest!?"_

" _So what? We beat him up good!"_

I just facepalmed as I reverted back to my human form. It had been a really bad idea to use Dark Blast Elder and I began to regret my decision to play along with Gettemhart. Deciding to just move on, I approached the beaten up Elder and began asking a question immediately.

"Who, or what are you?"

Without getting up from the ground, Elder spoke.

"...I am Dark Falz Elder"

"That is nonsense!"

"...You can deny all you want, but my existence is undeniable. Still..."

Elder slowly stood up. Despite having been badly beaten up, he stood straight with his arms folded, showing no fear at all in front of the opponent who had just defeated him in a one-sided beatdown.

"Your power was interesting, and strikingly similar to mine"

"Yours is the one similar! What are you really!?"

"Do I need to repeat myself? I am Dark Falz Elder"

" _Hey, chump! As much as I hate it, this jerk is really me! Tch..."_

My mind was already at the brink of exhaustion from lack of sleep to begin with, and now both the Dark Falz Elder in front of me and within me were basically saying that there were two Dark Falz Elder in existence for some reason.

Without giving me a chance to speak, Elder began speaking again.

"I've had enough. I was already exhausted from the start, only to suffer a beatdown from someone similar to me. I suppose there will be a more appropriate time and place to do battle with you"

 **Whoosh...**

Elder disappeared with a red vortex, leaving me wondering how there could be another Dark Falz Elder. But what I needed the most right now was a place to sleep. This devastated wasteland was no longer a suitable place for resting. Not even close.

 **Beep! Beep!**

Xiera contacted me again.

"Guardian, can you hear me now?"

"Loud and clear"

"Great! I'm glad we can communicate properly now! So, are you alright over there?"

"Not really. I could use some sleep right now"

"Hang in there, Guardian! But first, did you find anything regarding to the Urgent Mission?"

"I found Dark Falz Elder, a genuine one. This doesn't make sense"

"Actually, Guardian. It does make sense"

"What?"

Of course I couldn't comprehend the meaning behind Xiera's words. Her tone just now sounded as if she had found something worrying, and that has never been a good thing.

"Scouting devices for spatial recon are back in operation, and the readings indicate something very important. First, this planetary system is in a different dimension than ours."

That was not surprising for me, since ARKS had established an alliance with some locals of a planet in a different dimension. So the whole 'parallel-dimensions' thing wasn't anything new for us.

"I know this is not surprising for you, but hear me out. This dimension, if I have to explain it simply, is like a limbo between multiple dimensions. The unnatural energy distortions I told you about were actually rifts connecting to multiple other dimensions! Now here's the biggest part!"

Xiera sounded excited but also worried at the same time. I myself had a sudden hunch of what she was about to say next, but I kept myself silent and let her continue.

"The readings are unclear, but the indication is strong that there is one parallel dimension where ARKS exists! Not our ARKS!"

"So the Dark Falz Elder I just fought..."

"Correct, Guardian! It must be the Dark Falz Elder from that dimension!"

"Come to think of it, I found a wrecked Gate Ship with no food terminal. Are you thinking what I am thinking, Xiera?"

"Yes, Guardian. It seems there are also ARKS operatives from that dimension on this planet, and this other ARKS is a few years behind ours in technology"

With the reveal from Xiera, many questions were answered. The Gate Ship back then was not the one used by Mel Rose, but the ARKS operatives from the other dimension. If I had to take a wild guess, the three people fighting the Kraken alongside Fydan might have been the ARKS operatives since the giant falling fireball which had almost struck me back then could have possibly been the fire element Photon Tech Ilfoie, amplified massively by Pandora's mutated photon.

"Please find them as well, Guardian. Other dimension or not, ARKS help each other"

"That goes without saying, but I can't do anything if I don't know where to look"

"If the planetary recon devices are fully repaired I will be able to give you their location, but it will take some time. Do whatever you can until then, Guardian"

The communication ended, and I just sighed. Without knowing where to look, like how my mission had been from the beginning, there was no way I would find the objective without some kind of incredible luck. Now that I think about it, why am I down here on Pandora now instead of waiting until all the necessary recon was done? Granted, I had purified an infection source and eradicated infected creatures, so at least I have done something meaningful. But all those had been because I had found them by chance, totally unplanned.

Nevertheless, I activated my photon interface to see if I could get any readings within range. Elder probably had escaped far away from here, so I expected to find nothing important.

And indeed, I found nothing. Neither Darkers, Elder, nor other ARKS.

Having essentially nothing to do other than walking blindly while waiting for Xiera to give me more recon info, I decided to just lie down on the ground near a fallen tree, which could be the tree I had been resting under before the battle with Elder. It was not as comfortable, but I was already so exhausted anything would do as a bed.

It didn't take too long until my mind drifted off right then and there.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"So let me get this straight. You commandeered a Gate Ship all by yourself because you couldn't wait for ARKS to get here, and that Gate Ship went down?"

Hikaru just nodded hearing Ryu's question, and Ryu facepalmed in response.

 **Pomf!**

Ryu smacked Hikaru's head with his fist. It was clear as day that he was not serious in the slightest, and with Hikaru's hat being so fluffy the impact sounded fluffy as well.

"Stupid! Don't you realize how reckless and dangerous that was!?"

 **Pomf! Pomf! Pomf! Pomf!**

Ryu smacked Hikaru's head repeatedly, but he didn't seem to be totally angry. In fact, his facial expression was somewhat disjointed, his eyes raised in anger while his mouth grinned like he was happy. Hikaru herself grinned while this was happening. Mel Rose and the two persons alongside her who were also in the room seemed to be trying hard not to laugh, which made Ryu feel very embarrassed.

"Also..."

"Also what, oniichan?"

"There are other people here! Have some dignity and get off my lap!"

"Nope, I don't care"

Indeed, Hikaru had been sitting on Ryu's lap sideways while hugging him. Ryu's rejection just now made her hug him tighter instead. Ryu just sighed, seemingly having no choice.

Right now, other than Ryu and his sister Hikaru, there were also Lily and Alice in the room. In addition, Mel Rose and the two persons Ryu didn't know yet were also there. They were all in one of the conference rooms within the Adventurer's Guild.

"I'm sorry that you all have to see this embarrassing side of us. Come to think of it, we haven't had a proper introduction. I am Ryu Seika, this warrior is Lily Vangraf, and the magic caster is Alice Vegelshaft. Thank you for accompanying both my sister and my fellow ARKS all the way here"

"No, it's all right. We have talked a lot, and she really missed you. So there is nothing embarrassing. I am Hekkeran Termite and this is Imina, and we are the ones who should be grateful because both Rose and Sheep have saved our lives, multiple times even"

"Really? Great job, Hikaru!"

Ryu looked delighted hearing Hekkeran's words, and he caressed Hikaru's head. Hikaru seemed really happy and she hugged Ryu even tighter.

 **Click!**

The door of the room opened, and Ryu quickly urged Hikaru to get off his lap. Thankfully, this time Hikaru complied and sat next to him, though she was still clinging to Ryu with her arms.

As expected, the one entering the room was Pluton Ainzach. His face looked very worried, but it was clear that he tried his best to remain calm as he walked into the room. Everybody in the room stood up, a common courtesy when someone of high position entered the room.

"Ah, let us all sit down"

Everybody sat back down on their respective seats again, and Ainzach also sat down on the one vacant seat. Ainzach took a glance at Hekkeran, Imina, and Rose. He then also took a glance at Ryu and Hikaru, but he quickly and fearfully averted his eyes as he professionally began to speak.

"Alright, so... where should I begin... Ah, first and foremost, I would like to apologize on behalf of the guild for all the commotion back then. No excuses there"

Ainzach's speech was filled with worry and guilt, possibly because of the fact that an unfortunate chain of events had royally pissed off an Adamantite Rank adventurer. Ryu himself knew about how the guild as a whole seemed to avoid displeasing high rank adventurers like an absolute taboo, like the one occasion back then when an unofficial and uncertain job had been posted just because the concerned person was someone Momon knew, and by knowing this he felt that he wanted to puke.

"Also, Ryu-dono. I truly apologize on behalf of Theo for the wrongful accusation regarding your sister, and I am grateful that you have found mercy in your heart to heal him back"

Ainzach bowed deeply as he said that. Ryu was in fact still felt angry about what happened, and still wanted to punch Rakheshir for what he had done to Hikaru. But thankfully he had calmed down enough to control himself and healed Rakheshir back with a single cast of Resta. Of course, despite having been healed back to health, Rakheshir would not be present in this room. Nobody would want to meet the person who had beaten him up so badly, and Ryu himself didn't want to see Rakheshir's face for the foreseeable future anyway.

"I also deeply apologize for what I am going to say next, but... but the fact still remains that you have committed a violent physical assault on a citizen, in front of many witnesses. The guild won't be able to cover that up"

"Heh... so, am I going to jail or what?"

Ryu said those words with sharp expression. He fully intended to screw this town and run away if they really wanted to put him in jail for beating some sense into a racist bigot.

"No way, Ryu-dono, no. There's absolutely no way anybody would do that, and no jail would contain someone as mighty as you"

"Then get to the point!"

"...According to the rules, Ryu-dono will be required to pay a fine to the government officials, a tithe to the Temple in accordance to the severity of the injury inflicted, and..."

"And what?"

"...And a compensation according to the victim's demand in the case the victim survives. B-But please hear me out, Ryu-dono! Theo has declined his right to demand compensation, so that part is waived!"

Ryu sighed quite heavily. Taking a stand against prejudice had ended up like this, and there was no chance that the prejudice would stop after this.

"...How much in total?"

"I-I have talked to the officials from both the temple and the government. The total is... twenty five gold coins"

"Can I pay through you, or do I have to pay them myself?"

"They are waiting in my office now. You can pay through me if you wish not to see them..."

Ryu then took his money pouch from his photon inventory and threw two platinum coins along with five gold coins onto the table all at once. The coins were spread all over the table, and a few even fell down to the floor.

"There!"

Ainzach hurriedly picked them all up and gathered them in front of him. He then wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to Ryu.

"H-Here, Ryu-dono. A receipt saying that I have received the money for this purpose"

Ryu took the paper from Ainzach, glanced at it for a brief moment, and put it into his coat.

"So, what's next?"

"Umm, Ryu-dono. If you would, please enlighten us about your sister. Why is she... different from you?"

Ryu sighed again before wearily speaking in response.

"This is an old wound, and I really don't want to speak about this again, but I suppose it's necessary now. Sorry that I'm going to talk about this again, Hikaru."

Hikaru, while still hugging Ryu from the side, shook her head.

"It's alright, oniichan"

Ryu nodded and began speaking again.

"In the past, Hikaru was a human like me. She is now like this because one day, a madman abducted her and subjected her to human experimentation."

Ainzach couldn't hide his surprised expression, while the others didn't show such reaction. Lily and Alice already knew about Deuman race from him, and Mel Rose was a given since she was an ARKS operative too. As for Hekkeran and Imina, Ryu could assume that Hikaru had told them her story.

"She was used in an experiment, the goal of which was to merge the blood of a dragon into her flesh. And as you can see, this is the result"

"W-Wait, Ryu-dono! You're saying that Hikaru-dono is... part-dragon?"

Ainzach looked even more surprised than before. His eyes went as wide as human eyes could possibly be, and his mouth went agape.

"Back in ARKS, her race is named Deuman. But yes, part-dragon if you want to say it like that"

"...This is great! We have to get moving quickly!"

Ainzach looked really excited, leaving Ryu confused.

"Huh?"

Alice, having noticed the confusion, began speaking to Ryu.

"Ryu-san. You are aware that a lot of people have seen that you have an allegedly demon sister, aren't you? I believe I don't need to say what kind of rumor will spread soon"

It only took Ryu one second to realize what Alice meant with her words.

"...They might think that I'm a demon too"

"Exactly, Ryu-dono! Rumors spread like wildfire, and in the long run only bad things will come if an Adamantite Rank adventurer is rumored to be a demon in disguise! That's why we have to get ahead of the rumors!"

Ryu couldn't help but agree with Ainzach. Experimentation Deumans like Hikaru were few in numbers, but thanks to some events involving time paradox, natural Deumans also existed within ARKS now, in a number which rivaled other races existing there. If the false rumor about Deuman spread, ARKS would possibly be falsely accused as an army of demons by the locals, and that would complicate a lot of things.

"So you want to spread opposing information, using the fact that she's part-dragon."

"That's right! Unlike demons, dragons are very much revered by people like noble beings! If the spreading rumor is that both of you are related to dragons instead, people will look at both of you in a very positive light! I say we should get moving immediately, but what do you think, Ryu-dono?"

"Hmm, if the alternative is that bad, going with it would be the best option. What do you think, Hikaru?"

"I'm fine with either"

"Why you always leave every decision to me? Heh, fine. We will go with it"

"Great! I shall get it going immediately, then"

Ainzach stood up and was about to leave the room, but he stopped and spoke once more.

"Feel free to use this room for as long as you need. I will be pulling an all-nighter today, so you will find me in my office in case you need me for something"

Ainzach then left the room in a hurried excitement. Ryu leaned back on his seat, slightly slouching.

"Hahaha... at this rate people will think that I am part-dragon as well"

Hikaru laughed a little hearing what Ryu had just said.

"What's funny?"

"Fits with your name"

"Oh, right..."

The others seemed to be confused with the exchange, either tilting their head or showing an obvious confused facial expression. Therefore Ryu felt that he needed to explain.

"My name was taken from a word in a foreign language, and it literally means dragon. In any case, will people really believe the part-dragon thing? We know that it is true, but what about common people who don't?"

After Ryu spoke his question out, Alice began speaking in response.

"As long as it is plausible, people tend to believe positive news more. After all, the current ruler of Dragon Kingdom is part-dragon, so there is already an example known by people"

Ryu was mildly astonished hearing her since he had never learned much about Dragon Kingdom before. He only knew about the name and the location being south of the Empire, which meant southeast from here. Other than that, he knew nothing.

"Also, Ryu-san, people already regard you as a hero. Rather than rumors of you being a demon in disguise, the story of your sister having been once kidnapped and forcefully turned into essentially a demihuman will touch their emotion significantly, and therefore they will likely believe it"

"Hmm... When you put it like that, then I guess that it'll work. Oh, by the way..."

Ryu then looked at Mel Rose. He had been wondering about one thing, so he thought to ask directly.

"Are you Meru or Rose right now?"

Mel Rose seemed to be very surprised, while the others except Lily couldn't hide their confusion.

"Huh? I..."

From the way she awkwardly responded, it was easy for Ryu to notice who was currently in control.

"I was wondering since you are wearing Rose's clothing, but I guess you are really Meru"

Right after Ryu spoke, Mel Rose seemed to be twitching for a brief moment, and then she spoke.

"I have never told anybody about this, you dummy!"

"Uhh... what? Rose?"

Ryu was confused, but he soon realized that he might have just made a mistake. He had essentially revealed to everyone else in the room that Mel Rose was basically two persons sharing one body.

"My... Our condition is not something people would easily believe, you know"

Hekkeran slowly raised his hand, seemingly hesitating. Next to him, Imina showed an even more confused facial expression than before.

"Umm, pardon me but... Could any of you explain this?"

"Y-Yeah... It seems there's something about Rose that you know but we don't"

Rose sighed, seemingly accepting the fact that now she had to explain about her condition. But before she could begin speaking, Ryu spoke to her.

"I think I owe you an apology. Really sorry about that"

"Heh, don't sweat it. I'd eventually have to do this anyway"

Rose took a deep breath, and then she bowed her head towards Hekkeran and Imina.

"I'm sorry for not telling any of you about this. I was scared that none of you would believe this condition of ours"

Rose raised her head, her eyes still avoiding contact with others, put her hands over her chest, and began speaking again in hesitant tone.

"This body is shared by two minds. I am Rose, and the other one is Meru. Together, we are Mel Rose. Only one mind can control the body while the other stays inside, and we can switch at will"

Only Ryu and Lily were not surprised by the reveal, since they had known about it beforehand. As for the others, Hikaru included, it was pretty clear that they needed a brief moment to let the information sink in. Hekkeran was then the first one to speak.

"Wait, so the shy girl who has been with us most of the time..."

"Yes, it was Meru"

"Rose, which one of you were the one tortured by those scums?"

Hikaru's sudden question startled Rose. There was a brief silence before she spoke again.

"...Me"

"What about the one asking me not to leave you alone?"

"...Me"

"And not long after that, Meru took over and it stayed like that for a long while. Am I correct?"

"...Yes"

Rose's eyes were still avoiding contact. Her fingers were fidgeting and her body language clearly implied that she was nervous. Hikaru stood up from her seat and approached Rose, who was still sitting on her seat looking down and sporting worried expression.

...And then Hikaru hugged Rose from behind, bowing down and putting her arms over Rose's shoulders around the neck.

"Wha...?"

"You poor thing. It must have been lonely down there not being able to speak with others"

"Huh?"

"You had to endure all that pain, but you chose to stay inside, away from anyone else you could have shared that pain with"

"Yeah... I guess that is true... But Sheep..."

"Hmm?"

Rose reached her hand to Hikaru's hands and held them gently.

"Your kindness still reached me back then, and that was why I could heal from the pain. I thank you for that, Sheep"

Both Hikaru and Rose smiled warmly to each other. Hikaru then released her hug and gave Rose a light pat on the back before returning to her seat. As this was happening, Imina began speaking.

"Rose, could you switch with Meru?"

Rose nodded and closed her eyes. In an instant, her clothing changed to what Ryu and Lily remembered as Meru's, and she then opened her eyes again before starting to speak nervously.

"H-Hello..."

Imina put her hand on her own chest and spoke in response to Meru's nervous greeting.

"I have been knowing you as someone else, so I'd like to have a proper introduction with you. I am Imina. Nice to meet you, Meru"

"Ah, I am Hekkeran Termite. Nice to meet you too, Meru"

"I am Hikaru Seika, but you can call me with just Sheep. Pleased to meet you, Meru"

"I am Alice Vegelshaft, Liz for short. Hello there, Meru"

The others followed up with what Imina had started, and Meru's facial expression showed astonishment with her eyes slightly widening and her mouth slightly open. She then nodded while showing a warm smile, with a drop of tears leaking from one eye.

"Nice... to meet you all too!"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Good grief! I'm glad that it turned out okay, but that was really unexpected._

Ainz's right hand was on his own forehead as he watched what had been happening in E-Rantel through a combination of scrying spells and [Crystal Monitor], courtesy of the best Nazarick resident in the matter of recon and information gathering.

"That is enough. Thank you for your hard work, Nigredo. You may go"

"The pleasure has been mine, Ainz-sama"

Nigredo, who still sported the rugged, uncanny appearance all over her body as she had always been, bowed in respect as she deactivated the [Crystal Monitor]. She then walked away from Ainz in steady, refined, and elegant steps, contrasting sharply with her looks.

 _Blam._

After the door of Ainz's office closed gently behind Nigredo, Ainz, who was now completely alone in the room, slipped down into slouching position. Everything had been tiring him so much, for a moment he felt that he wanted to run away from them all.

 _Me slouching like this has been getting increasing more and more lately..._

Ainz had been watching everything happening ever since the Worker team had entered E-Rantel. He had made use of Nigredo's power this time because unlike Carne Village, he had nothing planted in E-Rantel to make the scrying easier and more secure. Thanks to the scrying, Ainz had seen a lot of new information. Especially Ryu's fits of rage.

 _I never expected him to go bonkers like that. Does he have a sister complex or something like that?_

Ainz had also watched all the conversations that had happened inside the guild, and from there he had obtained some interesting information. Hikaru being part-dragon was interesting, since that meant there were dragons outside of this planet as well. Ainz wanted to see them if he ever had the chance. Not that he would have such a chance, but he could still dream. His time as Momon traveling in this new world had awakened the explorer in him after all.

There was also something fairly intriguing about Ryu's name. He had said it himself that his name came from a word in a foreign language which meant dragon.

 _That so-called 'Foreign Language' could possibly be Japanese. But he told me back then that he had never heard of Earth. It might be just a coincidence that there's a language within ARKS similar to Japanese language of Earth... Ahh, whatever. This one matter isn't terribly important._

Lastly, the discussed method to counter the rumors among people was interesting as well since the figure of Momon was also regarded as a hero by the people. Ainz could keep this in mind and possibly take advantage of it in the future if the need would arise.

After resting his mind for a brief moment, Ainz stood up from his seat and began walking towards the door of the office. Demiurge's plan was still ongoing, and tomorrow would be the time to proceed to the next step, which was to have the twins send a message to the Emperor of Baharuth Empire.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **And now all ARKS operatives are gathered in one place, excepting Guardian whose presence on New World was still not known to any of them. Will they meet anytime soon? Nobody knows, yet.**

 **See you again next time.**


	62. Chapter 56: Once Upon A Time in Bedrooms

**Hello again.**

 **Just about one month and a half remaining, and this story will have its second anniversary. Time sure flies, and I'm betting some people are already questioning when this story is gonna end. Well, I can at least say with fair certainty that this story won't get to see its third anniversary.**

 **Anyway, on with the show.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

* _Yawn*_

Ryu woke up not feeling rested this morning. Everything which had happened last night had exhausted him both physically and mentally, especially the latter. Long story short, now the room he rented in this inn had two additional occupants. There were only two beds in the room and each could only fit two people comfortably, so naturally Ryu had to be the one giving up his spot since all the others were girls and 'ladies first' was basic courtesy.

That would have been the case if Hikaru, being a clingy sister as always, had not insisted to sleep with him. In the end, Lily had been the one giving up the bed and sleeping on the sofa in the room. Ryu had not been able to sleep well with his sister hugging him as if he was a bolster pillow. Fearing that the others might get a horribly wrong idea, Ryu had slept while still wearing his battle suit, shoes and all.

Nevertheless, now that he was awake, Ryu got off from the bed and stood stretching his arms up. The others on the bed were seemingly still asleep, but soon the one who had been sleeping on the sofa greeted him.

"Good morning, Ryu-san"

"Good morning, Lily. Sorry that you had to sleep there"

Lily shook her head while sporting a smile in response.

"It's all right. Hikaru-san must have missed you very much, so I just wanted to let her have it"

"Yeah... Right... Thanks"

Lily got up into sitting position on the sofa, and Ryu sat down next to her. Once again like in the previous morning, Ryu couldn't help feeling captivated by Lily's unarmored beauty.

"I wonder what we are going to do today..."

"Staying on guard like we always do, Ryu-san?"

"That's natural. I meant about Hikaru and Mel Rose"

"We're now a party of five! Simple, right?"

"I don't think it will be that simple"

Ryu believed that the guild wouldn't easily register Hikaru and Rose into the team. After all, both of them were still not adventurers to begin with. It had taken a bit of time until Alice had officially been promoted from Gold Rank to Adamantite Rank, so putting non-adventurers right into Adamantite Rank right off the bat would be a no go, even with their nauseating behaviour of constantly licking the boots of Adamantite Rank adventurers.

Moreover, it was still uncertain whether both Hikaru and Mel Rose would want to become adventurers, the same ones as those who had put them into a horrible experience. Ryu himself had wanted to quit being an adventurer back then after hearing the kind of prejudice they were bearing against anything remotely not human, but he had decided against it. He felt that he had to hold on this position to make some things easier for the fleet once they came.

"...Anyway, we will have to ask and answer a number of questions once everybody wakes up. Let's just wait until then"

"Alright, Ryu-san"

Ryu stood up from the sofa and stretched once again, while Lily started equipping her armor set. He then looked out the window and felt the morning breeze. He hoped that today would be a good day without any more weird things happening.

About half an hour later, everyone in the room were already wide awake and in their respective outdoor getup, except Lily who still didn't wear her helmet yet. Since there were not enough seats for five people, they all sat on the floor in a circular formation facing each other.

"Before we begin, I just want to make sure. You're Rose, right?"

"Yeah, but Meru can hear everything we're going to say, so you should count her in for this"

"Alright, now..."

Ryu took a deep breath and cleared his throat before continuing.

"I believe some, if not all of us, have questions in light of recent event, but unfortunately last night we were already too tired and other people were present. Now that Hekkeran and Imina are not here, we can talk about things we probably don't want them to hear. To begin, first I'm going to let one person ask a question, and then we will work from there slowly. The first one will be... Hikaru. Do you have any questions?"

Hikaru seemed to be hesitating, her eyes sometimes glancing at Lily and Alice before she began speaking.

"...Lily, and Alice... Do you know about someone with the name Ainz Ooal Gown?"

Ryu was not that surprised hearing Hikaru's question. The good thing Ainz had hinted back then must have been about Hikaru and Rose coming to E-Rantel, and that meant she had met Ainz before. But Ainz probably had not told her anything about Lily and Alice, so her hesitation to speak about him was natural.

Alice, without showing any sign of surprise, began speaking in response. Her eyes were glancing at Lily while she spoke.

"Yeah, we all do. In fact, he is her father"

"...What?"

Hikaru's facial expression showed a mixture of surprise and disbelief, though only slightly. Of course nobody would expect an undead magic caster to have a very human-looking daughter. To prevent the confusion from lasting longer, Ryu began speaking to explain.

"Well, to be exact, Ainz created Lily with some method I don't know and assigned her to accompany me. But they loved each other like father and daughter, so might as well consider them so"

"Ehhh... okay..."

Hikaru nodded slightly with a facial expression which clearly showed that she still needed some time to process the answers she had just heard.

"You've met Papa, Hikaru-san? Did he treat you well?"

As Lily spoke, Hikaru seemed to become slightly displeased.

"I'm not sure if putting me on a death trial could count as treating me well"

 _What?_

Ryu couldn't believe what Hikaru had just said. Ainz had promised to be his ally, but he had practically almost killed Hikaru. For a split second, Ryu could feel his blood starting to boil.

However, suddenly Rose raised her hand.

"Ah! Sorry, but I have to explain something about that!"

"Huh?"

Rose took a breath, and then she bowed to Hikaru with her hand clasped in front.

"I'm sorry that I haven't told you about this! It was actually a set up and none of us were in danger at all!"

"What...?"

All the others were similarly confused about what Rose had just said. She seemed to notice, so she continued.

"Sheep, I think we need to explain some things to the others first, if you don't mind"

"Ahh, yes..."

After Hikaru approved, both Rose and Hikaru told their story about how they had lived with a group of unofficial adventurers, commonly named Workers, during their time in Baharuth Empire. They had lived with a four members team named Foresight, and Hekkeran was the group leader. Recently, the group had accepted a job to explore a newly discovered ruins, which had turned out to be Ainz's home.

"Of course, at that point none of us knew that the ruins was his home"

Ryu, Lily, and Alice had been listening intently to the story. Especially Ryu who had never been aware on how his life on this planet had been much better than Rose and Hikaru.

"So, what happened there?"

"At one point, a trap caught me and separated me from the group. The trap teleported me right into Ainz's room, where he immediately greeted me"

As she spoke, Rose looked at Hikaru, and then she once again bowed with her hands clasped in front.

"I'm sorry again, Sheep! I have never told you that I and Ainz actually knew each other! I met him once before separating from Ryu"

"Eh, whatever... So, what happened there?"

"Long story short, he wanted to set up a scene to let us off in a dramatic way, and I agreed to play along. So he put me into that crystal prison and you know what happened next"

"Ah... yeah... The trial of dueling against Doppelgangers copying Momon and Nabe"

"The plan was to release me at the right time to make a dramatic intervention, and I'm sure he was about to do that before you suddenly did that and distracted him. Though by the way... what was that actually, Sheep?"

"Oh, you mean Briste Insignia..."

Ryu, being surprised on what Hikaru had just said, immediately spoke out.

"Wait wait wait! Hikaru, you released Briste Insignia?"

"Yeah, I felt that I had to..."

Hikaru then pulled the Briste Insignia katana from her photon inventory and put it on the floor. Despite still being sheathed, the katana somehow felt highly ominous with the visible glowing red line of the blade's middle part, which was visible because the scabbard had a hole through the middle of its length.

"Don't worry. As long as I don't activate its trait I won't be drained by it"

"I have never seen any weapons like this within ARKS. What is this actually, Sheep?"

"I don't know... Back then, I was just playing around with the weapon extension machine when for some reason it spat out this thing. I had no idea how and why this thing came out"

Ryu, feeling the need to add, began speaking to follow up with Hikaru's words.

"I once had it analyzed by... a person I trust. He had no idea about it either, but he could tell that this weapon is capable of transcending dimensions. I still don't know what he meant, but seeing that Hikaru can do unknown Photon Arts while wielding it, I guess it has something to do with that. The problem is, this weapon drains her physically and mentally, so I forbid her from using it unless absolutely needed"

After Ryu finished explaining, Hikaru put the katana back into her photon inventory, making it vanish into thin air.

"Rose, so... Nobody was supposed to die back then?"

"Yeah. Both the Doppelgangers were arranged according to the plan he made. Nobody, not even the Doppelgangers, were supposed to die"

After hearing Rose's answer, Hikaru started to look worried.

"So... I killed those two... by mistake...? And I attacked him too..."

Rose sighed before she began speaking in response to Hikaru's worry.

"Yeah, he promised me to let us all go with no strings attached, so he didn't say anything. But as much as I hate to say this, you might be in trouble when you meet him again, Sheep"

Hikaru looked even more worried now, and Ryu had no idea how to comfort her. As far as he knew, Ainz cared very much about his subordinates. Hikaru having outright killed two of them would probably warrant a consequence from him later.

"Hikaru-san, don't worry"

Lily came forward to Hikaru, kneeled in front of her, and held her arms.

"Eh...?"

"Papa is kind. He will forgive you. I will plead with you if you need me to"

It took Hikaru a few seconds before she could respond to Lily's sudden initiative. Lily just smiled warmly during all that silence.

"Thank you Lily, but I will face it myself. You shouldn't go so far for me, whom you just met yesterday"

"You are Ryu-san's sister, Hikaru-san! You're not merely someone I met yesterday!"

Lily smiled cheerfully this time, and that somehow managed to lift up Hikaru's mood. Ryu felt amazed on how Lily could quickly cheer Hikaru up. Nobody, not even all her brothers, had ever managed to cheer her up from her downed mood state this quickly.

Once Lily returned to her initial sitting spot, Ryu began speaking again.

"Alright, that became a long story but I suppose we all learned many things. Now, do you have questions, Rose and Meru?"

Rose put her finger on her chin and looked slightly upward, a common posture when a person was thinking. Though in her case she might be listening to what Meru was saying.

"I'm just wondering about one thing..."

Rose then looked at Alice before speaking again.

"You are a local, right? How did you get into the team?"

Alice averted her eyes, glancing at Ryu before she began speaking her answer.

"My former teammates were killed by Darkers, and he took me in"

"Hmm, alright"

Rose spoke with her head slightly tilted and her shoulders shrugging for a brief moment. Alice seemed to notice and began speaking in a rather indifferent tone.

"You seem not satisfied. Something bothering your mind?"

"I'm just concerned... are you strong enough to fight Darkers?"

Hearing Rose's words, Alice raised her eyebrows. Seeing the direction the exchange between Rose and Alice could go towards, Ryu quickly raised his hand.

"Intervention!"

Everybody else looked at Ryu, who quickly cleared his throat before speaking again.

"Your concern is valid, Rose. But while indeed Liz's combat power is below the rest of us, sorry about that Liz, she has contributed in other ways. Like for example... can you and Hikaru read the written languages of the people of this planet yet?"

"No, of course"

"No"

After hearing the answers from both Rose and Hikaru, Ryu looked at Alice.

"Liz, could you do that again for them?"

"Yeah, though I will have nearly no mana for the rest of the day"

"Please do"

Alice nodded and extended her right arm forward. A shining magic circle began to materialize on her hand.

"Hikaru, Rose, hold my hand"

Ryu gave Hikaru a light pat on the back and a single nod at Rose as a sign to urge them to do what Alice had just asked. Both of them did so, although slightly hesitating. It only took a few seconds until the magic circle lost its shine and faded away.

"There, now both of you can read"

"Eh?"

"What...?"

Ryu then quickly began speaking to explain what had just happened.

"Some people of this planet possess something called Talent. Liz here has a Talent to quickly learn new written language and bestow the knowledge to others"

"Yeah, though doing the latter part costs a whole lot of mana"

When Rose heard Ryu's explanation, her eyes went slightly wider for a moment and her head was raised a bit, as if she just remembered something.

"Ah, speaking about Talent, me and Sheep... I mean, Hikaru... Ahh, whatever! The two of us have something which our friend Workers thought as Talent"

Ryu quickly got what Rose meant, and he interrupted out of reflex.

"The ability to copy Martial Arts, isn't it?"

"Oh, so you know already"

Ryu nodded once as the response.

"If both of you can do that as well, I'm guessing that all ARKS can do the same"

"Yeah, we can instantly learn a Martial Art just by having one performed nearby. There's one interesting thing I noticed about this. Martial Arts performed by fellow ARKS can't be copied. I got to learn one first, but Sheep couldn't learn it no matter how many times I activated it near her. Thankfully, the person I learned it from was one of the friend Workers, a cleric named Roberdyck. So I asked him to try using the Martial Art near her, and she learned it on the first try"

"Hmm, interesting indeed. Though shame that we can't share our learned Martial Arts. What Martial Arts have you two learned?"

"Just two defensive ones: Impenetrable Fortress and Enhanced Magic Resistance. Both from Roberdyck"

"Both sounds good, especially the latter. I could use some magic resistance"

"What about you?"

"Evasion, Pace of The Wind, Flow Acceleration. None of them could be used to resist magic. By the way, I was surprised at the first time I found out about this. I activated the Martial Arts just by mentioning their name. Now I can control it, though. Also, I just remembered something else that might be interesting"

"Hmm?"

"Liz can cast Photon Tech, and Lily can do Photon Arts"

Both Hikaru and Rose were surprised by what Ryu had just said. Especially Rose whose eyes went really wide.

"What? How?"

"Long story short, Ainz found a way for him to use Photon Disks, so I tried the same method for them"

"Wait a second, wait a second! You gave him Photon Disks, and he managed to use them? So now Ainz can cast Photon Techs?"

"Uhh, yes"

Rose facepalmed hard with her right hand, while Hikaru sighed and shook her head, looking dejected.

"Do you realize that you have given more power to an already overwhelmingly powerful being? He might be an ally now thanks to having Darkers as common enemy, but will he remain an ally forever?"

"Yeah, I might have made a mistake there. But it's already done, so there's no use hurting our head over it. I do hope he will stay allied for long enough"

"Heh, right..."

Rose hung her head and sighed as she said that.

"By the way, I've been wondering a bit. When you said Doppelganger, are those like... creatures capable of mimicking someone else?"

"Yeah, Ainz said that they copied someone whom our group recognized as the strongest we have ever met, hence they came out as copies of Momon and Nabe. Why is that?"

"Ahh, nothing. They just kinda remind me of Dark Falz Persona"

"Huh? What's with that one? He's like, the weakest of all Dark Falz. He doesn't even seem to have a battle form, let alone a true form"

"Well... there was one occasion where he mimicked our brother from head to toe and assassinated one of the Six Councils, whom our brother was a friend with, by helping her in battle and then suddenly impaling his sword through her when things were looking safe"

"W-What?"

Rose was of course surprised hearing that, and Hikaru gently struck Ryu's side with her elbow. That strike made Ryu realize that he had just made a mistake.

"Ah, I should not speak further since that was actually classified information. But she lived, so don't worry. Anyway, one more thing..."

Ryu glanced at Rose and Hikaru, took a deep breath, and continued.

"Rose, Hikaru... What do you think about registering as an Adventurer?"

Both Rose and Hikaru showed a slight reaction upon hearing Ryu's proposal, but Ryu still continued speaking.

"I know both of you have had bad experience with adventurers, but it is a fact that adventurers are quite revered by this planet's society. Especially high-ranked ones, they are treated like top class celebrities. I'm not sure if the guild would allow you to start at Adamantite Rank right away, since Liz here needed some time until she was finally promoted to Adamantite from her previous rank of Gold. But becoming adventurers like us three will probably make a lot of things easier. Anyway, tell me what you two think first"

Rose folded her arms with raised eyebrows, but she didn't say anything. Meanwhile, Hikaru lowered her head and put one finger on her chin, also not saying anything. It was clear for Ryu that both of them were thinking. After slightly less than one minute, Hikaru was the first one to make a decision. She nodded before speaking to Ryu.

"Alright, I will do it"

Right after that, Rose let out a sigh.

"I don't really wanna do it, but Meru kept trying to convince me otherwise, saying that there is no loss or whatever. And with Sheep deciding to do that, I pretty much have no choice, do I?"

"I don't mind if you want to stay as you are"

Rose shook her head in response to Ryu's words.

"Nah, if I stayed as commoner it would be just out of spite and pride. That's not a valid reason, is it? I'm pragmatic enough when it comes to this kind of thing. Ah, come to think of it, there was once a bounty on Sheep but it was later dismissed. Do you know anything about that?"

Ryu could immediately guess what bounty Rose was asking about.

"Hmph, know about that? I was the one who dissolved the job. I told the guild that the alleged 'demons' are ARKS like me and the dead adventurers were killed out of mercy because they had been infected by Darkers irreversibly"

Rose could not hide her surprise.

"Wait, what? But they were not- Oh... I see"

"Yeah, I covered for you with a made up story and they believed right away. Being Adamantite Rank does have its perks, though sometimes nauseating like last night. Anyway, if both of you have decided, let's go to the guild and see if we can register you two into the team"

Everybody else nodded, and thus all stood up from their spot and prepared for a walk to the Adventurer's Guild. While this was happening, Ryu began wondering what kind of spot in the universe this planet was located at which made the warp drive require months of calibration. In any case, he was glad that the terrible scenario mentioned by Ainz back then did not turn out to be true.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"I will be expecting good news, Aura and Mare"

"Leave it to me, Ainz-sama!"

"Remember, while it is inevitable, try to minimize casualties in your show of power"

"I-I will do my best!"

With a proper send off, the twins departed to Baharuth Empire to send a message to the Emperor as part of Demiurge's world domination plan. Ainz actually had never had such grand ambition. Back then, what he had said had been nothing more than a 'would be nice' speech which he had never thought of actually doing. However, Demiurge had perceived the speech as something that had to be done.

Since there were benefits of doing this, Ainz had decided to go along with it. However, he still had no idea how the ARKS fleet would react to this scheme once they arrived and got their hands on the news that a powerful undead being was trying to expand his territory. Would they act like a righteous force of justice and try to eliminate him? Would they stay out of the matter because their purpose was to eliminate Darkers and not getting involved in local politics? Would they ally with him because he was their best bet in the fight against Darkers?

The latter would be the most ideal outcome, and Ainz had continuously try his best to increase his chance to produce that outcome. Albedo had pointed out that ARKS as a whole was probably filled with people of human ideals, so he had been trying not to cause unnecessary casualties during his endeavor.

Normally, Ainz really wouldn't want to bother exerting such a great amount of effort to gain anyone's favor. However, there were multiple pieces of evidence to suggest that each member of ARKS had enough strength to put up a decent fight against a Floor Guardian. ARKS as a whole, roughly judging from Ryu's words, likely had hundreds of thousands of members. With those kinds of numbers, and the powers wielded by each ARKS member, the history of Nazarick successfully defending against a 1500-Player raid would mean nothing. Nevertheless, Ainz never wanted to make enemies of anyone without a valid reason to begin with. So in that vein, it was not a big deal to try gaining favor, and see what would happen next.

Still feeling quite exhausted mentally, Ainz returned to his private bedroom and lied down on the bed to have some alone time. He rolled left and right, having a lot of things going on in his mind.

 _Now what do I need to do next...? Oh yeah, now that all the ARKS are in one place, I want to ask them a number of questions. When would be the best time to invite them here again...?_

Ainz also couldn't help being concerned about what Demiurge had reported to him through [Message] yesterday. A portion of Abelion Hills had been utterly devastated by a huge explosion followed by a massive shockwave. From that description alone, Ainz would assume that a nuclear bomb had gone off there. But there should be nothing like that in this world, so the next assumption was that it had been the work of Elder, who had gained enough strength to cause such devastation. Ainz had immediately ordered Demiurge to return to Nazarick at once because he didn't want Demiurge to be in danger again.

 _Something has to be done about Elder as fast as possible._

All things considered, Ainz decided to get all the available ARKS to Nazarick promptly. Unfortunately, it would be a little difficult to do right now because neither Momon nor Nabe were in E-Rantel currently.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

It was in the dead of night within Baharuth Empire. A time when most normal people would be sleeping soundly. However, one man was still wide awake on his work desk within his private bedroom. Both of his elbows pressed against the surface, along with his chin. His hands were gripping his head firmly through the forest of his lustrous blond hair, making its already matted appearance even more messy. It was a clear sign that this man, Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, was frustrated.

Today had been a very strange one for Jircniv, with so many unexpected things happening. Several layers of intermediaries had been set up so that it would have been nearly impossible to figure out that he was the mastermind behind the Workers' expedition into the tomb where Ainz Ooal Gown lived, but somehow he was found out anyway. Moreover, the emissaries sent in response had come right into the palace grounds riding upon an unknown dragon. Jircniv made contingency plans for every plan in motion, but only a crazy man would make a plan in anticipation of emissaries coming on a dragon.

And then, as a show of power, one of the two emissaries turned the palace grounds into a lush forest filled with flora which, as far as his knowledge could tell, was impossible to naturally grow in this region. No, even local flora would never grow there because the surface of the palace grounds was mostly brick stones. No plants would possibly grow there, let alone within a single minute.

 _Such power... If a mere emissary can control nature on a whim like that, I must assume that this Ainz Ooal Gown is even more powerful..._

From the spies watching over the Workers, he already knew about the outcome of the supposed expedition. They were put through some sort of trial to earn their survival, and in the end more than half of them lived, though surviving by the skin of their teeth. A report sent through [Message] was never to be fully trusted, but it was still useful for preliminary information before the full report would be delivered later.

From both the preliminary report and the visit of the emissaries, Jircniv could make an assumption that Ainz Ooal Gown was ruthless, yet still merciful to a degree. He probably had watched the Workers struggling for their survival while taking pleasure in the spectacle, but those who had earned their survival got to go home free with allegedly no strings attached. As for the emissaries, with the kind of power they had they could have wiped out every knights on the palace grounds surrounding them during their arrival, but they had chosen to show their power in a way that the knights had just enough time to retreat from the scene, resulting in minimal casualties.

However, Jircniv suspected that those acts of mercy could have been possibly a cunning feint to make others lower their guard. There was no way someone in possession of such power would be compassionate to the slightest bit. Jircniv himself had risen to power and maintained the power by being calculating and ruthless, because kindness and compassion would slowly but surely bring downfall, like what was currently happening with the neighbouring Re-Estize Kingdom.

 _What kind of preparation would be appropriate for my visit to his place later?_

Jircniv's general plan regarding Ainz Ooal Gown was to make Re-Estize Kingdom his enemy while Baharuth Empire would become his ally, and so far some information about his personality had been obtained after seeing his response to the intruding Workers. The plan was still in motion, but the unknown factors made the next course of action difficult to be decided upon. This was what have been frustrating Jircniv to no end.

"Not going to sleep, Your Highness?"

Right from another side of the room, a woman spoke to Jircniv in a concerned tone. This woman was Hilma Cygnaeus, the one who had been teleported into this bedroom all the way from the capital of Re-Estize Kingdom some time ago. A lot of things had happened ever since then, and now she was officially his concubine, whom Jircniv had been using as a secret advisor every now and then.

"Mind your own business, woman!"

Hilma, without changing her calm tone of speech after hearing Jircniv's harsh words, responded anyway.

"I see, you are in a pinch"

"Isn't that obvious? I expected Ainz Ooal Gown to be powerful, but I have never expected him to be _that_ powerful! All the contingency plans mean nothing!"

Hilma walked up to Jircniv and kneeled next to him, still sporting a calm facial expression.

"You are tired and agitated, Your Highness. You will not come up with good new plans at this rate. Come and talk with me about it on the bed"

Hilma reached her hand to Jircniv's as she said those words. For Jircniv, it was the first time someone could calmly suggest him something in the middle of his frustration and lashing out. Any other woman would just stay silent like a useless statue, but Hilma was different.

Somehow, even though the situation did not change, Jircniv could feel himself calmer and more confident that he would figure something out very soon. Was it because of Hilma's presence, or just merely himself regaining his composure? Not paying heed to the question, Jircniv smiled and took Hilma's hand. Both of them stood up, exchanged a devious smile to each other, and went to the bed.

After both of them were properly settled upon the bed, Hilma began speaking in her same calming tone.

"Your Highness, there is actually something interesting that I noticed from the two emissaries."

"Oh, what is it? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I was not fully sure about it, and the information is probably irrelevant"

"Irrelevant or not, I will never know unless you tell me. So go ahead and speak"

"Over the years I spent as a high-class prostitute, and later part of Eight Fingers, I have dealt with many kinds of people. Thanks to that, I gained a skill, or you may call it an instinct, to tell many things about people I meet on first glance. When I saw the emissary wearing blue back then, my instinct kept telling me, 'That one is a boy'."

Jircniv couldn't help feeling surprised hearing Hilma's words.

"I know that Aura, the one in red, was a girl because Mare, the other one, called her with female honorific, but are you telling me that Mare, who clearly wore short skirts, is a boy?"

"Yes, but please don't take my words too seriously. Like I said-"

"Yeah, I know. But if it is true, I can assume that Ainz Ooal Gown has a rather peculiar taste. Interesting"

"Was my information relevant, Your Highness?"

"Not really, but it did gave me some more insight on his personality"

After saying that, Jircniv laughed as if he had heard something quite funny. Indeed, he found this peculiar taste of Ainz hilarious, but he was also aware that this hilarious side might be another trap to lower his guard. Either way, Jircniv now felt that Ainz was an interesting man, and looked forward to meeting him in a war of words and wits.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Now you see why the chapter's title is like that. XD**

 **By the way, if anybody remembers, could you do me a favor and tell me how long is the time gap between the present time to the climax of Vol 9?**

 **See you again next time.**


	63. Chapter 57: Looking Into Concerns

**Hello again.**

 **Glad that I still can manage to keep up with the schedule I have determined. Since I have nothing important to say, I'll just make a periodic reminder that in my profile I have links to galleries which can help in visualizing various things appearing in this story overall. Though unfortunately you will need to do some extra steps because this site hates links.**

 **On with the show, and see you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

It was a fine afternoon over the fortress city of E-Rantel. The sun was shining as brightly as usual, and there were just a moderate amount of clouds in the sky. Most people had just had their lunch for the day, and they were about to resume their daily activities. Most of these people had no idea about what had happened the night before, and they wondered why there were apparently less people today. One small time merchant running a grocery stall had to do extra works today because his assistant didn't come to work today for some reason. He could also notice that there were less fellow merchants around this spot, and less potential customers walking about as well. It was as if part of the population had left the city because of something he didn't know yet.

"Hello there, working hard today?"

A voice greeted this merchant. It was a fairly old lady who often shopped for groceries at his stall. In other words, a regular customer. Her getup was simple, a standard for a commoner in the city.

"Yes, unfortunately. My assistant didn't show up today, don't know why"

"Oh, maybe he ran away like many others"

The lady examined the groceries displayed on the stall one by one as she said those words. The merchant's eyes went wide hearing that.

"Huh? Ran away? What happened?"

While still looking at the merchant's groceries, the lady began speaking.

"Oh, you don't know that last night there was a demon attack last night? There was an explosion in the sky, and for a second it was as bright as day. Many people evacuated from the city. I had nowhere to go, so I stayed. It might take a while until those who fled return"

"I really have no idea. But we're still fine here, so they managed to defeat the demon, right?"

"Well, I went to the Adventurer's Guild this morning to check if they have official news about that. It turns out there was no demon, according to the officer I asked. Everything was a misunderstanding"

"What kind of misunderstanding?"

The lady let out a little laugh before speaking.

"I'm in a little hurry, but if you can give me a discount..."

"Pfft, sly as always. Fine, one cabbage on the house"

The merchant laughed as well before the lady began speaking again.

"You know Ignite Maximus?"

"Yes, one of the two Adamantite Rank adventurer teams in this city. They shop around here sometimes, so I even know what they look like. What's with them?"

"The person people thought was a demon was actually the team leader's sister coming to look for him. The explosion was her trying to deter adventurers from attacking her"

"Huh? Why did adventurers want to attack her?"

The lady was about to speak to answer the question before her eyes glanced to a direction, followed by her head looking towards there.

"Speak of the devil. Look over there"

The merchant looked to the direction pointed by the lady, and there he saw at a distance a group of five people walking, all wearing the Adamantite Rank plate. He could recognize three of them as the members of Ignite Maximus, but what caught his attention the most was the girl walking next to the team leader. She had horns growing out of her head, and one of her eyes was unnaturally red. Anybody would think that she was a demon at first look, and the merchant was no exception. In fact, he was beginning to think that the team leader was a demon in disguise before the lady spoke again with one hand on her cheek and a facial expression showing pity.

"Poor thing. I heard from the guild officer that she was once kidnapped and forcefully turned into a demihuman"

The merchant quickly turned his head towards the old lady right after hearing what she just said, with shock and surprise clear in his voice.

"Forcefully turned into demihuman? Is such a thing even possible?"

"Perhaps some large cult or some underground organization? We will never know for sure, and the officer told me that the team leader didn't want to go into specifics"

The merchant folded his arms as he was hearing the lady out.

"Hmm, I guess it is understandable. Nobody wants to reopen old wounds. So, did the officer tell you what kind of demihuman she has become?"

"Yes, I was told that she is now part-dragon"

The merchant's eyes went wide as he heard the last part.

"Part-dragon? Like the ruler of Dragon Kingdom?"

"Hey, I'm not well-versed when it comes to other kingdoms. I'm just here trying to live the rest of my old life in peace, you know"

There was a brief silence before the merchant spoke again.

"Ah, right. Sorry"

"Anyway, I'm going to buy these"

The lady handed a basket filled with the groceries she had been picking up while talking. The merchant quickly began counting the total price while thinking how such a significant event could have happened overnight without him having any idea about it.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ryu's group was walking through the marketplace district of E-Rantel, having recently left from the Adventurer's Guild after registering Hikaru and Mel Rose into the team. Things had gone very smoothly and quickly, and Ryu felt displeased by it.

"Now you two see how the guild likes to lick the boots of Adamantite Rank adventurers"

Rose was then the one who spoke in response to Ryu's remark while gently holding the Adamantite Rank plate she was wearing.

"Yeah, I bet this thing normally takes some time to make, doesn't it?"

"Right, and now we know what Ainzach was doing in his all-nighter"

"Kinda obvious"

Hikaru let out a little laugh as she said that. Pluton Ainzach, the guildmaster, had pre-emptively taken care of all necessary procedures of officially putting both Rose and Hikaru into Ignite Maximus team as fellow Adamantite Rank adventurers. Something that shouldn't have taken only one night. That was a clear sign on how willing the guild was to go out of their way just to please an Adamantite Rank adventurer.

"You two should now have an easier time walking around, but I think we should still stick together for now."

Rose shrugged hearing Ryu's suggestion.

"Yeah, sure. But what are we going to do now?"

"Hmm... Let's go to a nearby open plain"

"Huh? For what?"

Rose asked with a confused tone. The others still didn't know what Ryu's intention was, which was natural since he still had not specified anything yet.

"I just thought that you two should learn how to fly"

"You mean like our Worker friend Arche? But how?"

"Well, let's just get there for now. Lily, pick Rose up. Liz, come and help me pick Hikaru up"

"Right away, Ryu-san!"

"Heh, alright"

Both Hikaru and Rose just looked confused as Lily positioned herself behind Rose and coiled her arms around Rose's torso right below the armpits, while Ryu and Alice each coiled one arm to Hikaru's. Just a second later the three of them flew up, carrying the other two with them.

"H-Hey! What the hell!?"

"Whoa..!"

Both Hikaru and Rose were startled by the sudden rise of altitude, but they both quickly regained their calm. The citizens around looked at the group in awe as they flew away from the place.

A few minutes later, the group landed upon an open plain near the edge of a forest. For Ryu, Lily, and Alice, this spot was familiar because it was where Ryu had bestowed Photon Arts and Photon Techs to Lily and Alice respectively. In fact, traces of damage to the environment from testing back then were still visible.

"Okay, I need some explanation. As far as I know, [Fly] is a magic spell. I can understand if Alice can cast it, but Lily is clearly not a magic caster. And you, how could you cast that spell?"

Before Ryu could answer to Rose's question, Hikaru spoke out.

"Ainz lent you something, didn't he?"

Ryu smiled, being impressed on how Hikaru could always make a correct guess this quickly when it comes to something involving him.

"That is correct"

Ryu then revealed the Flight Necklace he had been tucking underneath his suit, and then he took it off and gave it to Hikaru.

"Lily, please lend yours to Rose"

"Sure, Ryu-san!"

Lily then gave her Flight Necklace to Rose, who reluctantly accepted. Both Hikaru and Rose then put the necklace on while still looking fairly confused.

"So, what do we do with it?"

"Channel photon into it. But be careful not to-"

 **WHOOOSH!**

Rose was suddenly launched vertically upwards at high speed. Everyone else on the ground could hear her scream, fading as she was getting more distant from the ground.

"...overcharge it"

Ryu sighed with his head down, then he looked at Lily.

"Go get her, Lily"

"Alright, Ryu-san!"

Lily then activated the [Valkyrian Flight] spell from her armor set, making her grow angelic wings as she flew away to get Rose.

"To be exact, overcharging is fine since the necklace seems to just refuse to take in excess photon energy, but you might not be ready for the sudden flight speed, like her"

Right after Ryu finished speaking, Lily came back from the sky with Rose in her arms, princess-carry style. Rose looked quite shocked with what had just happened, seeing that her eyes had gone wide and she was breathing in short pulses. But as soon as she realized that everyone else were looking at her, her face became red and she wriggled her way out of Lily's arms.

"L-Let me down!"

Rose stood on her feet after Lily let her down. She took a deep breath before speaking to Ryu.

"Sorry about that. I should've heard you out until you finished"

"Ehh... what?"

Ryu was pretty confused with what Rose had just said. He had been expecting Rose to pout or lash out for what had just happened to her. Rose sighed seeing the confusion, folded her arms, and began speaking with her eyes looking upwards.

"See what I mean, Meru? Apologizing right away like that is so not me. Now they are confused"

Rose transitioned into laughing as she said that. All the others took a few seconds to get what was happening and they finally followed suit.

"Though, Lily. How were you able to fly? You gave me your necklace, right?"

"It was thanks to this armor suit from Papa!"

Lily gave her answer cheerfully while her angelic wings were flapping, even though she was currently standing on the ground. Ryu wondered if the wings were responding to Lily's mood somewhat.

Nevertheless, the lesson had to go on, so Ryu cleared his throat as a sign for Hikaru and Rose to pay attention, and then the crash course for flying resumed.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Ainz was once again back in his office, sitting on his grand seat with the work desk right in his front. Albedo was right beside him, and Demiurge was standing on the opposite side of the desk. Right now, Ainz was reviewing a number of written reports about various things, either ongoing or already past, which might be important.

"Albedo, Demiurge..."

"Yes, Ainz-sama. How can I serve you?"

"What is your command, Ainz-sama?"

Both Demiurge and Albedo responded promptly to his call. Ainz sighed a bit before he began speaking once more.

"Do you have suggestions on how I should reward the Kashin Koji for his well done work?"

Both Albedo and Demiurge only needed less than one second to come up with an answer. Both of them began speaking simultaneously, but Ainz quickly raised his hand.

"One by one. Albedo, you first"

"Right, Ainz-sama. I believe on his behalf that there is no greater reward than knowing that he has been of great use to you, Ainz-sama"

Ainz was not pleased with Albedo's answer. He then turned to Demiurge.

"What about you, Demiurge?"

"My opinion is the same as Albedo, Ainz-sama. Knowing that we have served you well is the greatest reward we could ever have"

Ainz wanted to scream in his mind, but in reality he just made a little sigh.

"...Are you two sure about that?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

Both Albedo and Demiurge answered at the same time.

"Even though he has exceeded my expectations?"

Hearing Ainz's followup question, Demiurge adjusted his glasses and began speaking.

"Exceeding your supreme expectations is what every single denizen of Nazarick strives for, Ainz-sama. To be painfully honest, right now I cannot help feeling envy towards the Kashin Koji, knowing that he had managed to achieve what I have been perceiving as an impossible dream"

 _Do they even actually learn?_

"I will keep that in mind, though I still believe that I should reward him with something more tangible. Nevertheless..."

Ainz picked up a single piece of paper, one of the many pieces of paper stacked like a mountain on the work desk. Most of them were the written report made by the Kashin Koji spy about everything which had happened around Ryu's group just like before. This particular piece of paper contained a pencil illustration of the alleged Falz Angel which Ryu's group had seen over the western ocean.

 _This illustration is... very good. Did he just draw this from memory?_

"Tell everyone in Nazarick to keep an eye for this creature, but do not engage even if it is openly hostile. Retreat on sight and report to me. That is my order regarding this matter"

Ainz handed the piece of paper to Albedo as he said that.

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

Albedo received the piece of paper, bowed to Ainz, and walked away leaving the office. After the door closed, now Ainz was left with only Demiurge in the room.

"Take a seat and help me with all these reports. Inform me immediately if you find something you consider interesting"

"Of course, Ainz-sama. I would relish the chance to assist you"

"Ah. Right... Well, let's get started"

Both Ainz and Demiurge then went through all the reports stacked on the work table. The report was written into excruciating detail which was very impressive for Ainz since the Kashin Koji should have not been able to take notes while being inside Lily, so everything had to be written from memory. Add to the fact that the spy was able to produce such an illustration of Falz Angel, Ainz couldn't help feeling even more impressed and wondered if the others had such level of dedication too.

After about half an hour of scouring through the reports, Demiurge's eyebrows suddenly rose.

"Hmm? Ainz-sama, you may wish to see this"

"Oh? What is it?"

Demiurge handed the paper he was holding to Ainz, who then glanced through it to see what this particular piece of report was about.

"That is the report about an Adamantite Rank job taken by Ryu's group some time ago, but the interesting part is at the end"

After hearing Demiurge's remark, Ainz focused his attention on the last section of the report. It took him less than a minute to notice what Demiurge wanted him to see.

"Ryu could copy Martial Arts just by having one performed near him... Interesting indeed"

Ainz thought about this newest detail. As far as evidence suggested, none of the residents of Nazarick could learn Martial Arts through normal means, while Hamsuke, a local of this world, had managed to learn one through training.

 _Come to think of it, his sister used a Martial Art once back then. Perhaps Rose also used one to break out of the crystal..._

Ainz made an assumption from his recent experiences that the ability to copy Martial Arts was likely a common trait among all ARKS members. If this was true, ARKS could become significantly more dangerous than Ainz had previously been thinking. Locals capable of using Martial Arts were not that rare, so ARKS members could obtain a large variety of Martial Arts without too much difficulty.

In addition, there had been a few pieces of evidence which suggested that Martial Arts scaled in power according to the user's strength and level. That meant an ARKS member who had learned something like a magic resistance Martial Art might become highly resistant to magic. Rose's feat of freeing herself from the [Crystal Prison] spell was proof enough of that.

 _Is this the way this world compensates ARKS for the fact that players, NPCs, and the world's locals can learn their Photon Arts and Photon Techs easily? Come on, that's a little unfair! We need to get our hands on their consumable item to learn one, while they can copy Martial Arts just like that! Hell, this report clearly implies that Ryu has copied that kidnapper girl's Martial Art, so now he can be fucking fast if he wants to!_

Just as Ainz was mentally venting in anger, frustration, and envy that he would have normally reserved for the "shitty-devs" back in his original world, his emotion suppressor kicked in, calming him down as he then spoke up in a matching tone.

"...We may need to reevaluate our thinking on how dangerous ARKS members can be"

"As expected of Ainz-sama, to immediately be cautious of the potential danger of a whole faction from a single part of a report about one of their members"

Ainz was slightly confused from Demiurge's remark, until he remembered that Demiurge had not yet been properly informed about the finer details of what had recently happened within Nazarick. This was thanks to Ainz himself being too focused on Rose's return, along with Ryu's sister now being in the picture.

"Ah, yes. There is a little detail I haven't informed you yet. Both Rose and Hikaru used Martial Arts back then in the Amphitheater, so we can assume that all ARKS are capable of learning Martial Arts easily like that"

Demiurge put one finger on his chin with serious expression on his face.

"I see. That means all ARKS members get more dangerous the longer they stay on this world"

"And they have to stay because there are Darkers. Therefore we need to be cautious and not make them an enemy, unless there are no other options. For now, I will wait and see how the ones in charge of ARKS would act upon learning about our presence. Further course of action will be decided once we find that out"

Demiurge nodded with a slight smile.

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

"Speaking of which, I should try seeing if I can get Ryu's group here to answer some questions"

Ainz then raised his hand towards his ear to cast the Message spell to Lily.

[Message]

"Lily"

"Oh, Papa! How are you?"

"I'm fine. Are you with everyone else now?"

"Yes, Papa! We're having Hikaru-san and Rose-san learning how to fly!"

 _Wait, what?_

It took Ainz a few seconds to understand that the group was lending their Flight Necklace to Rose and Hikaru and having them learn how to control it. Ainz thought that it was a smart move since Lily already had her own flight spell from her armor set, and Alice could cast the spell herself. If Lily and Alice gave their necklace to Hikaru and Rose, the whole group would be able to fly without having to acquire another Flight Necklace.

"I see. In any case, I want all of you to be here as soon as possible, so-"

"Got it, Papa! We will be on the usual spot within five minutes!"

 _Eh, what? What usual spot?_

Ainz had no idea what Lily had meant by that, but he was too embarrassed to ask. At this point Lily was already like a daughter to him, and a good father would never fail to understand their daughter. At least, that was how he felt about it.

"Ah, right. See you soon"

"See you soon, Papa!"

The spell ended, and now Ainz was in great distress. If he failed to figure out what the so-called "usual spot" actually was within the next five minutes, he would become a laughing stock to Lily. He didn't want to ask Demiurge either, because this matter should be a simple thing which even a child could figure out. Having to ask one of Nazarick's greatest thinkers for this trivial matter would not be appropriate to him.

 _Aaaaah! And here I thought I was done with this sort of thing!_

"Is there something wrong, Ainz-sama?"

Demiurge, seemingly noticing Ainz's restlessness, spoke out. Ainz didn't want to tell him, but he didn't want to shrug the concern off either.

"Lily gave me a... an interesting puzzle question. I wish to figure this out myself for now"

"Understood, Ainz-sama. I shall leave the room if you need to be alone"

"Stay here. This should only take five minutes, but I want you to keep silent until then"

Demiurge nodded without saying anything, and now Ainz's mind went into overdrive. The so-called "usual spot" shouldn't be a place unfamiliar to him, so he definitely would figure it out if he kept his mind calm. Ainz put his skeletal hand on his skeletal chin and leaned slightly forward as he fell into deep thought.

 _Let's see... from how Lily said it, she probably expected me to cast Gate on the 'usual spot' for the group to come here..._

 _But where is this 'usual spot'...?_

 _Their room in Golden Pavilion? Nah, she would have said 'in our room' or something to that effect instead._

 _The Adventurer's Guild? No way, people will freak out seeing the portal and cause unnecessary panic._

While Ainz was thinking, four minutes had passed. He only had less than one minute left to cast [Gate] or he would become Lily's laughing stock.

 _Is this what is feels like to be an anxious parent!? Think, Suzuki! Think!_

Only less than ten seconds remaining, and Ainz's physically-nonexistent brain felt like overheating. But suddenly...

 _...Oh! That must be it!_

Ainz stood up from his seat, raised his hand forward, and casted a spell on the open space a few meters behind Demiurge's seat.

[Gate]

A dark portal was materialized there as Demiurge turned around to look. Ainz then hoped with all his heart that his guess was true and Ryu's group would come in through that portal. The next five seconds felt like the longest five seconds ever in his unlife.

 **Whoosh!**

"Hello, Papa!"

With the familiar sound, someone came out from the portal. It was Lily, jumping in cheerfully, followed by Rose, then Alice, and...

 _Where are Ryu and Hikaru?_

It took another five seconds of silence until finally Ryu came out from the portal, with Hikaru clinging to his arm and sporting a worried facial expression. Not paying much heed to that, Ainz dispelled the portal after making sure everyone was here. Ainz was glad he had guessed correctly that the "usual spot" was the one in the forest near E-Rantel, where he usually teleported Ryu's group to from Nazarick.

"Welcome back to Nazarick"

Ainz spoke with his usual calm tone to Ryu's group, while Demiurge moved aside and bowed slightly, treating the group as respected guests.

"Demiurge, you are dismissed for now. I will call you back later"

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

Demiurge bowed and walked away from the room. After the door gently closed, Ainz made a gesture towards the small conference table nearby.

"Let us take a seat over there. I have a number of things to talk about"

"U-Umm... A-Ainz-dono..."

Hikaru spoke with great hesitation before everyone could take a seat. Ainz looked at her and noticed how her face was quite flushed.

"Hmm? Is there something wrong?"

Hikaru didn't respond to Ainz's question for several seconds, but then she released her arms from Ryu, approached Ainz, and suddenly bowed to him.

"I-I'm so sorry!"

Ainz was surprised from the sudden apology. He had no idea why Hikaru suddenly apologized like that, as if she had made a big mistake.

"Now, now. I fail to understand what the apology is about. I need some explanation, if you or any others could provide one"

Hikaru raised her head, hesitated briefly, and began speaking again.

"I-I'm sorry for... killing your Doppelgangers..."

"Huh? Oh..."

Ainz looked at Rose as he realized what this was all about.

"So you have told her, Rose"

Rose, still looking unfazed, began speaking in response.

"I kinda had to. Otherwise there would have been misunderstandings"

Ainz put his hand on his chin, fully understanding what Rose meant.

"Hmm, indeed. That is to be expected"

He then looked towards Hikaru, who was looking at him with worried, full of guilt face. The dissonance between the attitude she had showed back then and now made Ainz question whether this was really the same person. Nevertheless, Ainz began speaking to her.

"Shed your worry and guilt, as you are not at fault at all. Back then, in your eyes you were faced with the imminent death of your friends, so your reaction of unleashing what I assume was a dangerous, last resort power, was natural. I would have done the same in your shoes"

Hikaru's eyes went wider slightly after hearing what Ainz had just said.

"While the death of the Doppelgangers were not planned, it was still well within the risk I have expected. If I had to blame someone, it would have been myself for making the scheme too extreme. Therefore, let us put that matter aside and take seats"

Without waiting for response, Ainz walked away from the spot he was standing on and sat down on one of the available seats around the small conference table. One by one, the others followed, until finally everyone was seated around the table.

"To begin, I wish to ask a question"

Ainz turned his head to Rose, who was seated further from him but not the furthest.

"Why did you not tell me that Sheep, or Hikaru, whichever she is addressed with now, is also a member of ARKS? I believe you should have already known that when we met again back then"

Rose showed a slight reaction, then she averted her eyes, which was slightly narrowed, to the side while scratching her cheek with one finger. Her cheeks seemed to blush slightly.

"I... I didn't fully trust you yet back then"

"I see. That is to be expected with this ominous physical nature of mine. In any case, now that all ARKS operatives I know are in one place, I believe it is a good time to exchange information"

The group then had a conversation, mainly about informing each other about various things. Thanks to this conference, Ainz now has learned about more details regarding various things such as Rose's life after separating from Ryu, how she had encountered Hikaru by chance, and all other events leading to their expedition into Nazarick with the Workers. From Hikaru, he also learned about how this world was for some reason located in a peculiar spot in the universe which made warping in risky, as shown by three separate cases of crashed spaceships, which they called as Gate Ship.

"So we can expect them to arrive within a month or two?"

"I can't make any promises, unfortunately"

"Hmm... that is troubling"

Ainz was not pleased with Hikaru's answer, which didn't give much to begin with on how long he had to wait until the fleet arrived.

"...Pardon me, but..."

Alice suddenly spoke out, albeit hesitantly.

"I couldn't follow some part of the conversation, but are you all telling me that this realm is just one of many so-called 'planets', with others out there beyond the skies, and the culture of ARKS has advanced enough to easily travel between planets?"

From what Alice had just said, Ainz realized that all the things which had been talked about might have involved a concept too bizzare for this world's local to grasp. The culture level of this world could be assumed as similar to medieval ages of Earth, which Ainz believed still embraced the Geocentric Theorem, Flat Earth belief, or both at once. The conversation might have overwhelmingly strained Alice's mind, and Ainz felt that he had to do something about it.

"That is correct. I know it is hard to believe, but-"

Alice quickly shook her head before Ainz could finish.

"No, I mean, that is amazing! Everything matches with the ancient book I once read!"

Alice spoke with excited tone, and her eyes were wide with that excitement. It was the very first time Ainz, and probably everyone else, saw Alice behaving like that. Ainz himself was quite intrigued hearing the words "Ancient Book" which could possibly be something left by players in the past, if its contents was really about such modern knowledge.

"Ancient book? Do you have it with you now?"

Alice shook her head again.

"No, it was not mine to begin with. It belonged to someone I met by chance when I was still a wanderer, before I settled down on E-Rantel and became an Adventurer there. He wore full plate white armor so I never got to know how he looked. His name was... Tsar, I think. It was already a couple years ago"

 _Hmm, this 'Tsar' guy might be a player, or someone related to one in some way. I wonder if I can find him anytime soon..._

"I see, but I think I need to tell you all about a concerning matter"

Ainz then pulled the world map he had from his inventory and spread it over the table. After the map was neatly settled down on the table, Ainz put one finger on one spot of the map.

"This is E-Rantel, the city you all know"

Ainz moved his finger to a different spot.

"This is Carne Village, which was once under attack by Darkers"

Ainz moved his finger again to another spot.

"This is the capital of Re-Estize Kingdom. Dark Falz Elder appeared here and went on a rampage. Thankfully the city survived without too much damage thanks to the effort of Ryu's team and m-"

Ainz's speech was cut short because he realized he was about to say 'mine', which would eventually reveal to Rose and Hikaru that he was Momon. It might be pointless to keep that secret since the rest of their group already knew and likely would tell them sooner or later, accidentally or not. But at least Ainz didn't want to reveal the fact himself right here and now.

"...Momon's team"

Not looking if anyone noticed his stuttering, Ainz moved his finger again.

"This is the ocean to the west, where Ryu's group fought a giant Kraken infected by Darker, and then saw a mysterious figure which might have been a Falz Angel. As you can see, it is apparent that Darkers have spread their influence wide throughout the land"

After saying that, Ainz moved his finger to the spot he was currently most concerned with.

"This is a region named Abelion Hills. There is no human civilization here, but there is a variety of demihuman civilization. My subordinate Demiurge, the one you all saw when you came, encountered Elder's Darkers there. In addition, just recently a portion of this area was devastated by a huge explosion, which was possibly Elder's doing"

The others seemed to listen to Ainz seriously so far.

"I would like you all to go there and investigate. See if you can find out whatever was behind the explosion, and return to me with any information you can find. Think of it as an Adventurer job from me, since I will properly reward you once you return depending on what you find. I would have liked to assist you by lending some strong escorts, but since there is a risk of them getting infected and attack you, I unfortunately will have you go by yourselves"

Ryu then looked around to the others before speaking.

"What do you think?"

Rose was the one to immediately respond, followed by the others.

"Of course we should. This is about a Dark Falz, and we are the only ARKS on this planet now"

"Yes, we should, oniichan"

"I will follow you wherever you go, Ryu-san!"

"I don't know if I will be of any help, but alright"

Looking at the approval, Ainz pulled a Flight Necklace from his inventory and put it on the table.

"Here is one extra Flight Necklace so that everyone in your group can use [Fly], since now Lily doesn't need it, no?"

Everyone else except Alice had their eyes going wide seeing what Ainz had just given them seemingly on a whim. Ainz decided to pay it no further heed and continued speaking.

"If you are ready, I shall use the same portal spell to send you there, but not exactly there since I do not want to risk Elder noticing the portal by chance and coming here through it. The place you will be investigating will be a couple kilometers to the south from where you will come out. Also, take the necklace already, will you?"

After showing a slight reaction, Ryu took the necklace and put it on, which made Ainz wonder why it was Ryu who had lent his necklace away instead of Alice. But since it was a trivial matter Ainz didn't bother to inquire.

"So, are you ready?"

Ryu looked at the others, who nodded as their eyes met, and then he looked at Ainz.

"Yes, we are"

Ainz nodded and raised his hand to the side.

[Gate]

"Good luck. I will be expecting valuable information from you later"

Everyone in Ryu's group then walked into the portal which just appeared, and Ainz immediately dispelled the portal after making sure everybody was through. Right after that, Ainz remembered something he had neglected.

 _Oh crap! How will they get back here if there's no telling when and where they will be ready to get back? Oh well, I guess I will have to call Nigredo over again._

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 _Blam._

The large door behind him closed with a gentle sound, and he let out a sigh. This man, the First Seat of the Black Scripture, couldn't help wondering why this day had been a very strange one. Still, he believed that he should not show this weak side of him, thus he straightened his body up and walked away from the meeting room behind him.

Just a few steps later, he noticed that someone was standing in the middle of the hallway. Someone familiar to him in the form of the Extra Seat of the Black Scripture. She stood straight with her arms folded, as if she was waiting for him. Somehow, he felt that the situation was familiar, as a feeling of _deja vu_ crept over him. A strange term passed down to them by the Six Great Gods.

"What was the decision?"

"They are still discussing about it"

She rolled her eyes with her head slightly tilted up, a clear sign that she was not pleased with the answer.

"Figures. Those old farts just like to talk all day until their tongues fall off"

The man just responded with a slight laugh and bitter smile to the disrespectful words. She could easily get away with it because she was what she was. Not wanting to continue on the topic, the man quickly spoke out to change the subject.

"You seem interested this time, unlike before"

The girl began walking to the wall on the side of the hallway with her hands behind her head.

"I was just bored, and I didn't feel like playing with that toy. So I read the copy of the report given to me about what you did this time"

She leaned to the wall, right next to the cross-shaped scythe of hers which was leaning against the wall. The Captain of the Black Scripture ignored what would have been a shock to him at the revelation that Zesshi Zetsumei actually read a report for once. Due to the most recent string of events, he could no longer be surprised easily anymore.

Indeed, recently the Black Scripture had been sent over to the Abelion Hills to investigate unnatural disturbances happening there, which had somehow culminated into a massive explosion by the time they had gotten fairly close, which had prompted them to increase their pace. Soon after, they had found nothing at ground zero, other than a single thing: A girl sleeping on the ground leaning to a fallen tree without any traces of injuries, burns, or such.

Suspecting that the girl might have been the one who had caused the disturbances and the massive explosion, the squad had decided to capture her by putting her into a deeper sleep with a magic spell. After that, the squad had returned to the Theocracy with teleportation spell to report what they had found. In the mean time while the higher ups were deciding on what to do, the suspected girl was taken prisoner.

"So, how's the prisoner now?"

"Last time I checked, still fast asleep. But the sleep spell should wear out sometime later today"

"What if she wakes up sooner and then rampages?"

"She is currently secured in the special magic-sealing confinement chamber, so she should not be able to cause any harm even if that's the case"

The girl smirked, and then she put her hand on her forehead and laughed. The man couldn't help wondering why she seemed so excited.

"I can break out of that chamber without effort. Do you seriously think it can hold her down there?"

The man didn't say anything in response. Indeed, it was true that Zesshi could easily break out of the restraints and other security measures of the chamber. However, Zesshi was a special case. She was without any doubt the Theocracy's strongest trump card, and nothing besides the sacred artifacts of The Six Gods could have enough power to hold her down.

Moreover, as its name implied, the magic-sealing confinement chamber was designed to hold down magic users by containing the flow of their mana, forcing them to rely on pure physical strength to break out of the restraints, which would be impossible because the restraints were made from the strongest metal available. Zesshi's physical strength was something which broke any common sense contrasting her physical appearance as a relatively small girl, so it was natural that she could break out of the chamber, or any other confinement facility within the Theocracy, without exerting much effort.

"But if she really can break out of it, maybe I can hope for an exciting fight. I wonder if she will be the one to finally make me taste defeat..."

Zesshi spoke those words while staring at both her hands and her facial expression going back to smirking.

"Please don't get your hopes up. The odds are impossible for that to happen"

Still smirking, Zesshi talked back in response of what he had just said.

"Are you really sure about that? Sometimes I feel that the Gods are playing with us, you see"

He couldn't help agreeing to some extent. The Theocracy had suffered substantial losses within the span of just half a year. The Crown of Wisdom had been lost, a Black Scripture member had defected, the Miko Princess of Earth had died, two other Black Scripture members had been killed by a vampire, with one other severely injured.

With all those bad things happening, he couldn't shake off the possibility, however slim, that the girl taken prisoner would bring another significant loss to the Theocracy, or worse, total annihilation. But he had to keep a positive attitude and not let such doubts make him waver.

"If you are really concerned, I'm going to check on her now"

"...I will go with you. I have nothing else to do after all"

Zesshi grabbed her scythe and began walking along with the Black Scripture Captain. With her alongside him, he felt relieved, and he believed that things would turn out all right.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **Welp, it seems Guardian got kidnapped in her sleep by Slane Theocracy. Though they were indeed correct on one point that she was the one who had blown up a portion of Abelion Hills. How will she get out of this predicament? Well, that will be for the next chapter.**

* * *

 **Pre-emptive Q &A:**

* * *

 **Q:** So Guardian is a girl?

 **A:** Yes.

* * *

 **Q:** Why another girl?

 **A:** There's a plot-critical reason for Guardian being a girl.

* * *

 **Q:** Will you show us (the audience) what she looks like?

 **A:** Yes, once she manages to rendezvous with Ryu's group later. I already have dropped a hint a couple chapters ago, though.

* * *

 **Q:** Will there be a fight between ARKS and Nazarick? (From UndeadLord22)

 **A:** Very unlikely, since both sides should know better than destroying each other and letting Darkers roam free.

* * *

 **See you again later.**


	64. Chapter 58: Oncoming Devastation

**Hello again.**

 **This chapter ends with a cliffhanger so... maybe you want to wait until the next if you think you can't stand it.**

 **Also, the 'spoilerific' section of the gallery has been updated.**

 **See you again in the afterword.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

" _G-...dian. Ca- ..ou h-..r me?"_

" _Guard-..n"_

" **Guardian!"**

 _Huh!?_

The loud calling from Xiera woke me up from my slumber. I felt strangely dizzy upon waking up, and my surroundings felt strange to me. I didn't remember sleeping on a hard-as-rock surface that, as my body could feel, was shaped like a reclined seat. In addition, the first thing I saw with my eyes was an obviously artificial ceiling. In any case, first thing first, I had to respond to the call so I raised my hand...

 _ **Rattle!**_

...which didn't happen because something held my hand in place. From the metallic sound, I immediately assumed one thing with certainty, and looked at them anyway to confirm. Indeed, I was bound to this chair-like object with shackles on my wrists and ankles. For some reason, someone had kidnapped me in my sleep.

"Guardian, please respond!"

Thankfully, there was actually no need to raise my hand to respond to Xiera. Raising my hand was just an old habit which I never intended to get rid of.

"Yeah, I'm here"

"Oh, finally you answered! What happened over there? The readings indicate that you are a couple hundreds of clicks southeast away from the last time we talked!"

I was naturally quite surprised hearing what Xiera had just said. Unless I somehow had slept for days or even weeks, there should be no way Pandora's level of technology could have transported me that far without having me waking up even once on the way.

"Xiera, when was the last time we talked?"

"Twenty four hours ago, Guardian. Is something the matter?"

Xiera's answer raised a number of questions in my head. Nobody could normally sleep for 24 hours straight, so there must have been an outside interference at work. In addition, the technology level of Pandora was not advanced enough to cover a long distance within just one day. However, both points could be answered fairly easily because I knew that magic was common to the inhabitants of Pandora, thus I could safely assume that I had been kept asleep with sleep-inducing magic and had been transported all the way here with teleportation magic.

"Xiera, listen up and keep calm... It seems I got kidnapped in my sleep"

"W-What? But how? Are you alright?"

"I'm tied up but I'm alright. Magic seems to be common here, and I think they magically kept me asleep. Until just now"

"Wha-What should I do? Should I get Commander Ulc to issue Code Abyss like back then to get you back?"

Xiera's suggestion was actually valid. Code Abyss could be used to forcefully teleport me away from here all the way back to the ARKS ship hiding behind the moon. However...

"You better not. Code Abyss is not something to be used on a trivial matter like a single operative being in a pinch"

"But you're not a mere operative! You're Guardian, the hero of ARKS!"

"And that is exactly why I have to deal with this on my own. Morale will drop if everyone knows that their hero has to be rescued from simple kidnappers"

"Guardian..."

"Anyway, if you called me, then you must have something important to say, right?"

"Y-yes! It's only one way, but I have managed to send a message to the other ARKS fleet! Hopefully with the data I sent they will safely find their way here soon to retrieve their operative!"

"Good to hear. What about the ship? Still repairing?"

"Yes, we still need time for that. A-Also, I finally got readings of other ARKS operatives about four hundred clicks north from where you are now. But I still can't talk to any of them, because the mutated photons on this planet makes linking communication network difficult. Even linking to you alone is overheating the system already"

"I see. Focus on repairing the ship then"

"A-Alright, Guardian!"

"Also, good work, Xiera. Now I know where to look once I get out of this"

"...Will you be alright, Guardian?"

"Don't worry about me. You know that I've been through a lot of worse things. Some kidnappers is just a trivial matter"

"A-Alright, Guardian. Please be safe"

"Hmm"

As I said that, I made a slight nod even though I fully knew Xiera couldn't see it, and soon the communication ended. I let out a small sigh thinking about my current situation, which I certainly had sugarcoated during my talk with Xiera.

Nevertheless, I looked down a bit to assess the restraints I had been put into. The pedestal I was on, more or less, was shaped in a way which put me into a posture similar to when I was sitting on the reclined seat of a dentist's patient. That could have been comfortable if this pedestal was not rock-solid.

Each of my arms was shackled on the wrist and tethered to the armrest equivalent with a short chain, which still allowed very limited movement. The same also applied to each of my ankles, which were shackled over my boots and linked to the bottom part of the pedestal. In addition, for some reason they also tied my knees together right above the kneecaps with some kind of leather belt restraint, which felt out of place compared to the rest of the restraints on me. My own legs were obscuring it, but it seemed the belt restraint was tightly tethered to the pedestal because I couldn't move my knees around.

There was nothing chaining my upper body part to the pedestal, so I actually could rise and sit upright if I wanted. But with how limited my movement was, I'd rather stay fully leaning on the pedestal and wait until something eventually happened. Though what annoyed me right now was that my shorts were riding up, and I couldn't fix them because my hands couldn't reach. It was a little... embarrassing.

After assessing the restraints, I looked around to see the room which they kept me in. It was a pretty small room with seemingly granite tile walls, having only about two or three meters distance from the pedestal to the walls all around. The ceiling was made from the same material as the walls, and was about four meters above me. It was strange that this room's illumination was sufficiently bright, yet I didn't see any form of light sources. Maybe this was another magic?

The room only had one door, which was fortified with types of metal I couldn't recognize, located to my front. I noticed a peeking slot on it, but it was currently closed. I wondered if there was a guard behind that door, and the possibility that someone might have heard my conversation with Xiera. In that case, they'd probably assume that I had gone crazy, since the communication link worked in a way that nobody other than the receiver would hear what the other party was saying.

Speaking of my kidnappers, even though I had told Xiera that they were simple kidnappers, I knew full well that whoever had kidnapped me were not just simple kidnappers. Such culprit would have tied me up with simple ropes and put me into a more ordinary room like an abandoned shack or a random cave in the wilderness. The indications were clear that this room and the restraints were specially made for keeping a prisoner inside, and no simple kidnappers would likely have such kind of room. In other words, whoever had kidnapped me was probably a large, well-funded organization.

 **Shhhrk!**

Before I could think further, I heard a sound coming from where the door was. The peeking hole was now open, and I could notice a pair of eyes looking here. Before long, the hole was closed again.

 **Click!**

With a clicking sound, the door opened and two people came in. One was a long-haired man wearing fancy armor and wielding a spear, and the other was a girl wielding a halberd whose looks would be too long to describe because of how asymmetrical she was. Both of them sported serious facial expressions, though the girl looked somewhat bored compared to the man.

"Who are you and where am I? Why am I tied up here?"

I asked the questions without expecting any good answers. My goal for now was to gauge their reaction and find out whether my kidnappers were truly malicious or simply misunderstood. Both of the two persons didn't show any reaction, and soon the man began speaking in serious tone.

"Before we can answer your questions, you are obliged to answer ours first. What were you doing within Abelion Hills?"

"Abelion Hills? I don't know what you mean"

The man leaned his spear against the wall and folded his arms.

"Do you know about the massive explosion which happened right before we found you sleeping?"

"Ah, yes..."

At this point, I could predict where this was going. I couldn't decide whether I should lie or not, because there was a risk that one of these two, or even both, was experienced in detecting lies.

"Do you have any idea who caused it?"

In the end, I decided to just be honest. I was not that good at lying to begin with.

"...I did"

Both of them showed different reactions as I spoke my answer. The man slightly opened his mouth and his head moved backwards a little, showing that he was mildly surprised. On the other hand, the girl smirked and narrowed her eyes, showing that she had gotten interested in me, and that kinda weirded me out.

"So you admit it that the massive explosion was caused by you?"

"Yes, it was my mistake"

The man let out a small sigh before speaking again.

"Do you realize the consequences of your actions, mistake or not?"

"..."

I kept myself silent for now, since I thought that talking back would likely be a bad idea in my current situation.

"The Abelion Hills is a region inhabited by savage demihuman tribes. The explosion agitated them into fleeing further from the region, and into human territories. Only one day has passed, and I have already received reports of demihumans ransacking villages, killing those who stood in their way, and worse. On the other side of the region, there is another country which has been on the constant defensive against these demihumans since long ago. The chance is high that the explosion would have triggered the demihumans to initiate a full-scale invasion into motion. Now who's to blame for all the potential war breaking out, and the deaths and suffering of innocent people, other than yourself? By your own admission no less?"

I couldn't discern whether he was merely stating the truth of the situation, or dramatized his speech for the purpose of making me feel remorseful. Either way, I did feel a bit guilty for having played along with Gettermhart's behavior and causing such a ripple effect on this planet's environment. Still, the damage had already been done, and therefore I believed I just had to do what I could to make up for my mistake.

"...So what do you want me to do to make up for it?"

I genuinely wanted to pay for my mistake somehow, so I made that offer with a straight face. However, upon hearing it the man didn't look pleased even so slightly. In fact, his facial expression seemed to worsen instead. After letting out a noticeable sigh, the man spoke again.

"You didn't even show remorse after I told you that. But no matter, because your punishment isn't going to be decided by me. Just wait over there until then"

The man took his spear from the wall and turned around, starting to walk away from me. The girl on the other hand, smirked at me and seemed to chuckle before she followed suit with the man.

"Hey, you can't just tie me up here! I have a mission to accomplish!"

I shouted at the two while struggling against the bonds, but it was futile since neither of them said anything in the midst of the sounds of rattling chains. Soon, the door closed and locked with a clicking sound, leaving me alone and tied up in the room once again.

Letting out a deep sigh, I leaned back against the pedestal again and closed my eyes. Soon, my consciousness drifted into the subspace within my own mind, where all the Dark Falz I had absorbed resided.

"Kukuku... in a pinch, are you?"

I rolled my eyes knowing that the first voice I heard was Luther's. He was standing right there in front of me with the smug face I loathed.

Without paying further heed to him, I turned my head and glared at the other Dark Falz in the room. Gettemhart looked as displeased as me, folding his arms as if he was challenging me.

"What? You wanna say that it was all my fault?"

I put my hands on my hip, accepting his challenge.

"Your fault for pushing me into using your power, and my fault for caving in to your childish request"

Gettemhart scratched his head while gritting his teeth after hearing my reply.

"Goodness, you really are constantly asking me to punch you in the face. Just like the first time I met you"

"You always itch to punch everyone in the face anyway"

Gettemhart and I glared at each other as Luther just smirked in the background looking at the two of us. But suddenly a different voice spoke to me from behind.

"Are you fighting? Is this a game?"

The voice was none other than Flo, one of the two halves of Dark Falz Double. He still sported the innocent look of a child as always.

"No, it is not a game"

A different, yet very similar voice spoke from behind Gettemhart. This time, it was Frau, the other half of Dark Falz Double. She still looked like the mirror image of Flo like she had always been.

"Oh, I know! You two are fighting, because you are buddies!"

"Right, best buddies always fights!"

As Flo and Frau spoke those lines, they started playfully hopping in circles around me and Gettemhart.

" **Me, friends with this chump/gorilla!? Fat chance!"**

Both I and Gettemhart shouted at the twins simultaneously, with mostly identical words to boot. I noticed it, and Gettemhart seemed to notice too, and that had served to agitate both of us even further.

"My, my... you two are at it again, huh?"

A woman's voice came from behind Luther. I didn't look at all because I knew that it was Margaretta, formerly known as Dark Falz Apprentice. Her figure as a fair-skinned woman wearing blue-accented Dark Falz getup was, in my opinion, fairly gorgeous. With her appearance, now all Dark Falz within me were present in this subspace. Well, minus one, but that missing one was a special case to begin with.

Gettemhart folded his arms again and spoke while averting his eyes from me.

"Hmph! So what are you here for? Crying for help?"

"Like hell I would. I just want to hear whether I better try to escape or just wait"

"Like hell I know!"

"Hey, you're partially at fault for getting me tied up in this godforsaken prison. At least say something to make up for it"

"Break out and kick their asses. There! I said something!"

I just smacked my own forehead with my hand hearing that. Of course I shouldn't have expected anything else from a punch-happy gorilla like Gettemhart.

"Fufufu... as much as I like seeing you two, I feel the need to say that you should decide that for yourself. To begin with, my purpose here is not to counsel you about your personal problems. But, if you want me to lend you my power in the case you decide to escape, suit yourself"

Luther spoke while slightly smirking, and I was not too happy with that answer.

"Prison is lonely, don't want to stay"

"Alone in prison is bad, don't want to wait"

Flo and Frau gave their answer in a simple way, which I didn't mind.

"I suppose you don't need my answer, do you? The majority has spoken"

Margaretta spoke with her finger touching her own lip and the other hand on her hip.

"But I must warn you that the man and the girl you saw... both of them are powerful, especially the girl, contrary to her looks"

"Pfft... kukuku... hahahahaha!"

Luther laughed hearing what Margaretta had just said. She looked quite displeased seeing his behaviour.

"Contrary to her looks you say? Just look at how silly and ridiculous some female ARKS can appear with their flashy and gaudy appearances and say that again! Hah! Some even dare to only wear bikinis during combat and that never made them any weaker!"

I cringed a little hearing Luther's remarks. Indeed the flexibility and ease of use of photon armor and photon clothing gave all ARKS operatives total freedom on how they wanted to look. As the result, ARKS operatives had... colorful appearances to say the least. As for me, I still preferred more practical-looking clothes and I was glad my kidnappers didn't take anything off me. To be exact, they probably couldn't, because any part of photon clothing, hat and shoes included, couldn't be taken off without the wearer's consent.

"That girl is not an ARKS"

Margaretta raised her eyebrows and glared at Luther, who still sported his everlasting smirk. Not wanting to see another fight after I just had one myself, I spoke out to intervene.

"Alright, enough. I have decided that I will escape. After all, there is a bigger concern than this planet's local conflicts despite being my mistake. Also, thank you for the warning, Margaretta"

Margaretta's face flushed hearing my thanks. She folded her arms and averted her eyes.

"Hmph! It was just a matter of preserving myself since if you die I will cease to exist, not that I was worried about you or such!"

I just smiled seeing her denial, and then I returned my own consciousness back to my physical body. My situation was still the same, being tied up on a pedestal in a prison. The peeking hole was closed, so right now there should be nobody looking at me.

 _Let's see... maybe I can try summoning my katana and cut the chain links for a start._

With that decision in mind, I accessed my photon inventory to pull out my katana. However...

 **Crack! Crack! CRASH!**

For some reason, all the shackles on my wrists and ankles cracked and shattered with a loud noise before my katana even materialized on my hand. But I was still not free yet because the leather restraint binding my knees to the pedestal was still intact for some reason.

 **Shhrk!**

As I expected, whoever was on guard duty right behind the door had noticed the sound and opened the peeking hole. The eyes peeking through the hole immediately went wide, which was also expected.

"T-The chains broke! She broke the chains!"

I could hear the guard's scream fading, probably because he was running off to warn the others. Not going to waste any more time, I slashed the belt restraints with my katana, fully freeing myself. The next thing on the checklist was to fix my shorts from their riding up, and then break through the door.

 _Shift-Wolkenkratzer!_

I jumped slightly and made a vertical spinning slash even though I was still too far from the door for my katana to reach. The slash produced a dark energy bolt which was shot straight towards the door.

 **BANG!**

The bolt violently pushed the door away from where it stood, launching it several meters away from this prison cell's entrance. I was glad that the guard had ran off. He would have been crushed by the door otherwise. Without thinking further, I put away my katana and began running away from that room.

While running, I could look around and conclude that I was in the underground dungeon of some large structure. From how the man had spoken to me before, this structure could possibly be the king's castle or such. Seeing that, I began to worry that I have made things complicated for diplomacy down the line. While I would not deny that the terrible things the man had told me had been my fault, I would have preferred not to add an unnecessary burden to the ones in the diplomacy department of ARKS.

"Halt!"

Before I could think further, a bunch of guards blocked my way ahead. They were armed with spears pointed straight at me. I didn't want to harm them because they were just misled by unfortunate chain of events, and so I pulled my assault rifle from my photon inventory.

"S-She summoned a weapon out of nowhere!"

I could hear one guard pointing out what I've just done, but I paid no heed and used the Photon Art for zooming past them.

 _Shift-Nachtangriff!_

 **ZOOM!**

I went past the guards with incredible speed that some of them got thrown aside. My photon armor prevented all damage from directly crashing through their spears, so I got away without any harm for now. Not wanting to crash into walls, I immediately cancelled the Photon Art and resumed running.

Soon, I came across an upward staircase which had a type of heavy metal door at the other end about one and a half story higher than where I stood. I assumed that the door was the way out of this dungeon, so I quickly climbed the stairs and tried to open it. The door wouldn't budge, which I already figured. I pulled my katana from my photon inventory and used a Photon Art to break through it.

 _Rose Schwert!_

 **CRASH!**

The Photon Art made me step back a bit, followed up with a straight forward thrust with the katana right at the door, which violently broke off from its hinges. I went through the now open doorway, and saw that it was located at the side of a fairly illuminated hallway. To my left, there was an obvious dead end, while to my right, at a distance I could see a kind of courtyard of this building.

I felt relieved seeing that an open space was not far ahead. I thought that once I got there I would use Dark Blast Loser and fly away from this place. With that in mind, I began running towards the opening which led to the courtyard.

However, soon I saw someone standing in the middle of the way. It was the man whom I had seen before, though the girl wasn't with him this time. He was in a battle-ready stance with his spear pointed at me. Learning from his behaviour before, I didn't expect him to let me through easily, so I stopped running and stood straight while keeping my distance.

"Going somewhere?"

I shrugged in response to his question.

"Look, I don't want unnecessary violence. Can you just let me through?"

"Breaking out of prison is a crime, and thus I can't do that"

Right after he said that, a number of people came out from the sides of the hallway one by one. From their varied looks alone, I could tell that they were all capable of combat, each their own unique fields of specialization. Soon enough there were a group of more than six in front of me blocking the way, all in a battle-ready stance.

"We won't allow that"

The man spoke, following up with his previous statement. They clearly outnumbered me greatly and my physical appearance was of a girl, yet all of them showed tense facial expressions without any sign of underestimation. This was not a good sign, because it was likely that they had determined me as a dangerous enemy and wouldn't trust anything I would say.

Before I could think any further, I heard the sound of multiple people running closer to me from behind. I took a quick glance and saw that those were the guards I had run past. They all quickly formed a line with spears pointed at me while keeping their distance, and with that I was effectively surrounded. I let out a sigh and began speaking to the man, who seemed to be the leader of the group. I was aware that my chances to be listened was slim, but I felt that I still had to try.

"Look, I don't have time for this. I have a mission to accomplish, and I have bigger concerns than some local conflict. If you let me through, I will come back later to make things right. But if you insist on getting in my way..."

As I said my words, I pulled my katana from my photon inventory and brandished it at the man.

"...I will force my way through"

I put myself in battle stance with my katana at the ready. A number of them showed reactions to my words, and I could also hear worried whispers from behind.

"A katana user... And a magical katana at that... You are far more dangerous than I previously assumed."

"I take it that you won't let me through, then?"

"My... _our_ duty is to subjugate any threats to humanity. What you have done has threatened the peace our people have been working hard to maintain, and there's nothing to say that you won't repeat your 'mistake'. Therefore, I perceive you as a threat that we must subjugate."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. They actually had noble intentions, but they were pointing those intentions at the wrong target.

" _In a conundrum again?"_

I suddenly heard Luther's words from inside my mind. He was right, but what was the point of pointing that out?

" _Just an idea, how about using my power right now and see how well it will intimidate them? Kukuku..."_

As much as I dislike him, I had to admit that Luther's suggestion was not a bad one. The guards behind me were nothing to speak about, but the group in front could be an elite one and a legitimate threat if Margaretta's words were to be taken seriously, and unless she was obviously joking around I always took her words seriously. My bluff had not worked, and I absolutely didn't want to be confined in prison again, or worse.

 **Clank!**

I dropped my katana to the floor and it immediately disappeared back into my photon inventory after hitting the ground. Then I once again unleashed the power I borrowed from Luther.

 _ **Dark Blast Loser!**_

Right in the middle of the hallway, in front of both the guards and the elite group, I became the five meters tall winged monstrosity, an altered form of Falz Angel, which I hoped would intimidate them enough to move aside. They all still stood there with their mouths agape, so I decided to speak out. While in this form, my voice would sound exactly like Luther's with added echo effect, resulting into me speaking with voice of a legion.

" **This is your last warning. Do not make me-"**

 _Thud! Thud! Thud!_

My speech was cut short because all the people, both behind and in front of me, suddenly kneeled with their head hanged down. I didn't understand what was going on at all, but now that I was five meters tall and floating, I noticed that there was another person behind the elite group. It was a man dressed in a very fancy robe, which made him look like the head of a religious organization. Unlike the others, he was still standing, looking at me with wide eyes and hanging jaw.

"Oooohh...! Messenger of the Gods! I deeply apologize for the atrocity we have committed upon your person!"

That man prostrated as he said those words, and I was very confused with that was happening. Being curious, I spoke up.

" **I have no idea about what you have said. Explain to me..."**

" _You fool. You could have just escaped right away instead of entertaining this... folly!"_

I ignored Luther's mocking and waited for someone to answer me. The robed man stood up, approached me, and kneeled with one knee.

"On behalf of my people, I, Pontifex Maximus, apologize for the ignorance to the fact that you are a Messenger of The Gods. Please let me take all the blame and punish me as you see fit for the atrocity my subordinates have committed"

The answer was not satisfying at all for me.

" **Let me get this straight. All I want right now, is to leave. I have a mission to accomplish"**

"O-Of course. We are fully under your command, and therefore our door is wide open for you"

The Pontifex Maximus moved aside, and the elite group behind him followed suit, fully opening the way to the courtyard. I floated past them all and was ready to fly away through the open space of the courtyard, but before I could do that I heard a voice from my left.

"Are you leaving?"

The voice was of a girl. I looked at the direction the voice had come from, and I saw the black-and-white girl whom I had seen when I had been still in prison. She was standing straight with her arms folded, and her weapon was leaning against the wall near her. I felt that she was somewhat displeased, so I approached her.

" **Yes, I'm leaving. Is there something you want to say?"**

Before she could answer my question, the Pontifex Maximus ran to her side and bowed to me.

"Please forgive the offense! I will make sure she will learn her lesson!"

The girl looked even more displeased as she saw what was happening. I could fully understand that because I myself would feel unhappy if someone barged in and spoke on my behalf without my consent. I had no knowledge about her circumstances, but for some reason I felt myself sympathizing with her.

" **I am not offended. Let her speak her mind. Also..."**

I reverted back to my human form and approached the girl. Her eyes went wider just slightly, seemingly not expecting what I had just done.

"This form should be easier to talk to. So, tell me what you wanted to say"

The girl was speechless for a few seconds before she hesitantly began speaking.

"I was thinking... of having a battle with you"

"Zesshi!"

I quickly raised my hand against the Pontifex in response. Seemingly getting it, he didn't speak any further. Thanks to him, now I knew that the girl's name was Zesshi.

"You wanted to fight me? Why is that?"

"I'm just... bored of winning all the time. My dream is to fight with all I got, and still taste defeat. I thought that maybe you could be the one who would finally fulfill that dream"

I felt that her reason was weird, but there were all kinds of people in the universe. Nevertheless, I glanced once again at the weapon leaning against the wall near her. I had assumed that it was a halberd at first, but now that I could take a closer look, it could be actually a scythe.

"That's your weapon isn't it? Is that a scythe?"

"Yes..."

Hearing her answer, I pulled my other weapon from my photon inventory. It was actually a Rod-type weapon to cast Photon Techs, but this one I had was shaped like a scythe with an energy blade if I unfold the head part. Zesshi's eyes once again slightly went wide after seeing my weapon, and the same applied to the Pontifex Maximus.

"I shall entertain your request with this then"

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

Pontifex Maximus, the head of state of Slane Theocracy, felt very overwhelmed today. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally, but this particular day still showed no sign of stopping with its surprises.

The Pontiff reminisced about what he assumed to be the beginning of this chain of events. Back then, there had been reports of disturbances happening over the region of Abelion Hills, causing the demihumans to grow more aggressive towards both fellow demihumans and humans alike. It had been reported that a considerable number of villages located near the border between Slane Theocracy and Abelion Hills had been invaded and looted by various demihuman races. Many villagers had fled towards the center of Slane Theocracy, but many others had been not so fortunate and therefore had met their demise in the hands of the invaders.

To contain the damage from spreading and also to investigate the potential cause of the disturbances, Holocaust Scripture had been dispatched to eliminate the invading demihumans, and to this day they were still patrolling the borders, eliminating demihuman invaders on sight until further orders. The task of investigation had been assigned to Black Scripture, taking into account the possible danger of the source of disturbances. They had lost a few members recently, but they were still the best trump card in the hands of Slane Theocracy.

What the Black Scripture had brought home later had been a potential suspect whom they promptly put into the magic-sealing confinement chamber. The Pontiff had gone over their report about the matter, and he had agreed with their way of thinking. However, to follow up with it he had conducted a meeting with the Cardinals to decide the next course of action. They all had been about to agree to question the suspect first with possible follow up actions in mind depending on her response when they suddenly heard that the suspect had broken out from the confinement chamber. That was how he had gotten here now.

It was hard for the Pontiff to process everything, despite having years of experience in his line of work. The alleged suspect had turned out to be the human form of a very majestic golden angel, who had thankfully found mercy in her heart to forgive the utter atrocity committed against her. But soon after, the final trump card of the Theocracy, Zesshi Zetsumei, had committed another atrocity by challenging the angel into a fight. To add more surprises into the day, the angel had decided to entertain the challenge.

Right now, both Zesshi and the angel, who had turned back into her human form, were in the middle of the courtyard standing straight facing each other. Defensive spells had been casted over the edges of the courtyard to prevent collateral damage, and Black Scripture members had been spread around those edges just in case. A one-on-one duel between a Godkin and an angel was about to happen, and the Pontiff's mind still couldn't believe that such a mythical event was about to happen.

 _Is this all a dream? Did I eat something strange yesterday?_

Regardless of the event being real or just a dream, the Pontiff sat down on a protected seat specially prepared for him, along with all the Cardinals. All of them sat straight with their eyes fully focused on the imminent battle of the century, which in truth they opposed but couldn't voice out. Nobody in Slane Theocracy would dare to oppose the consent of an angel, and right now they could only hope neither of the duelists would get killed by the other.

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

"Ready when you are, Zesshi"

"Right at you, Guardian Angel"

 _Heh, that nickname again. Better get used to it._

I smiled a little hearing how Zesshi had just addressed me the same way as Fydan the Sea Dragon had. She smiled as well, and I could tell that she was quite pleased with the current situation. That made me feel that I have made the right decision to entertain her request.

Without further warning, Zesshi jumped and slashed downwards with her scythe. I quickly sidestepped to evade, and she ended up smashing the ground. As a counter attack, I used a Photon Art.

 _Schwarze Katze!_

I made an uppercut slash with my rod, which she gracefully evaded. Like me before, she immediately countered with a slash, but as part of the Photon Art I teleported away from her right after slashing, therefore her slash only hit thin air as I was already several meters further away from her by that time. She didn't look surprised in the slightest, and instead she quickly did another attack without moving from her spot.

[Void Cutter]

Zesshi's scythe let out a glow briefly as she made a horizontal slash which sent out an energy wave straight at me. There was a gap between the wave and the ground, so I slid down underneath it and immediately shot a small projectile to her, which was followed up by a Photon Art.

 _Shift - Ruf Konzert!_

I did an uppercut slash which sent out a large wheel-shaped energy wave which zoomed straight at incredible speed. Its size was significantly larger than normal, probably because of Pandora's mutated photons. Like before, Zesshi evaded the attack, and this time she countered with something different.

[Shukuchi]

Without moving her body at all, Zesshi was suddenly right in front of me as if she had teleported. I had no idea whether she really had teleported or just moved really fast.

[Whirlwind Slash]

Zesshi immediately did a spinning slash at a speed which could create a miniature tornado. Being taken by surprise, I braced myself with my rod and took the hit which launched me away. The damage I took was not much but not something to be ignored either. I still landed on my feet and used another Photon Art from a distance.

 _Eisen Fluegel!_

 _Gifoie!_

The Photon Art launched a pseudo-talis projectile straight at Zesshi who had just stopped spinning. I quickly followed up with a Photon Tech which normally would conjure a tornado of fire around the user, but in this case the pseudo-talis acted as the caster in my stead, conjuring the fire tornado around itself.

Zesshi jumped away from the fire tornado, but I had expected that. As she was still in the air, I shot another small projectile at her and used the Photon Art I'd recently used.

 _Shift - Schwarze Katze!_

The alternate version of the Photon Art instead teleported me close to Zesshi, and as part of it I did a vertical downward slash, hammering it down.

[Impenetrable Fortress]

 **CLANK!**

My attack hit her directly, but was deflected hard and didn't seem to inflict any damage. Not wanting to risk taking a counter attack during my brief vulnerable state, I activated a skill from my job class by charging a Photon Tech.

 _Stealth Tech Charge!_

My body disappeared and became a dark blue wisp, which immediately zoomed away from Zesshi.

 _Resta!_

My physical form returned as I released the Photon Tech which healed me from the minor damage I had taken before. Zesshi seemed to grin a little seeing what I'd just done, and then she raised her scythe, producing a visible blue aura.

[Limit Breaker]

[Flow Acceleration]

[Ability Boost]

 **ZOOM!**

Zesshi suddenly launched herself at me with incredible speed and did a horizontal slash. I managed to evade by throwing myself forward before the slash happened, thus screwing the timing. However, she quickly bounced off the ground and launched herself back at me, repeating the slash.

 _Mirage Step._

I stepped right through her attack during the very brief moment I became immaterial as part of my rod's evasive maneuver, which was technically similar to the Mirage Escape move possessed by ARKS operatives of Force or Techer class. Successfully evading an attack with Mirage Step absorbed the attack's energy and stored it into my weapon.

 _Grants!_

I casted a Photon Tech which conjured spears of light to strike Zesshi. In addition, the stored energy was unleashed from my weapon in the form of three dark blue projectiles homing in towards her at high speed.

 **Boom!**

Every attack seemed to connect, resulting in an explosion which covered Zesshi in smokes and obscuring her from my vision. Immediately, without prior warning, she emerged from above with her weapon readied to perform a vertical slam attack.

 **SMASH!**

And that was exactly what happened. The attack was very strong compared to before that it leveled the ground around the impact point. I managed to evade by Mirage-Stepping away, and then immediately countered with a Photon Art.

 _Ruf Konzert!_

The Photon Art made me do three alternating sideway slashes consecutively, with the third slash launching an X-shaped energy wave forward, with additional triple projectile as the result of the prior successful evasion.

 **Boom!**

Once again, Zesshi was covered in smokes from the impact of the attacks. Not wanting to give her another chance for counter attack, I switched to my katana and unleashed the ultimate skill of my job class, which I could only use every once in a while depending on my combat performance.

 _Phantom Finish!_

I did a somewhat slow one-handed downward slash with my katana on my right hand, and a giant energy blade slashed down on Zesshi's position with the same motion as the slash I had done.

 **CRASH! BOOM!**

An even bigger explosion than before occured at that spot as I sheathed my katana. This time, there was no sudden attack coming out from the smokes. Instead, I could hear a cheerful laugh from there.

"Hahahaha! This is exciting!"

Zesshi walked nonchalantly from the smokes while holding her scythe over her shoulders. Her previously shown sour facial expression had seemingly come off and replaced with the cheerful face of a happy girl. Her clothing was torn on several spots, and some bloodstains were visible, but she seemed to be not bothered at all.

"This is the first time I feel this sensation of facing a truly strong opponent, I'm so delighted!"

Right after saying that, Zesshi put herself in a battle stance, telling that she still wanted to continue the duel. I was about to enter a battle stance myself, but suddenly...

"I apologize for the interruption, but unfortunately I have to stop this match"

The one intervening was the leader of the elite group, whom others addressed as Captain. He put himself between me and Zesshi, preventing us from continuing the fight.

"Aww, I was just getting warmed up...!"

Zesshi pouted, and I smiled bitterly in my mind after hearing that. While I had silently held back my powers to avoid accidentally killing her, Zesshi's strength and fortitude was formidable. If the fight had continued, I would likely be forced to fight her at full strength eventually, and possibly still lost.

"I know, and I believe the same applies to Guardian Angel. However, look around you"

Hearing what the Captain had just said, I looked around myself and realized that my fight with Zesshi had utterly destroyed the courtyard. What used to be a grass field with neatly trimmed flora and artistic stone walkways had become nothing more than piles of rubble and dirt. I also noticed that the buildings around had been visibly damaged despite having been protected with defensive magic. Could it have been because both of us were too strong for the magic to defend against?

"The spells have been already broken through and the casters are out of mana. Moreover, one of the Cardinals just fainted watching the battle. I can't allow the fight here to continue any longer. Also, remember that Guardian Angel has a mission to do. We can't risk her failing her objective because of exhaustion"

"Aww..."

Zesshi pouted again, and she looked somewhat cute at this moment. She then let out a small sigh and lowered her weapon.

"Can't be helped, then. Hey, Guardian Angel"

"Hmm?"

"Will you come again someday?"

Zesshi asked the question with her previous sour facial expression. I immediately nodded after hearing that.

"I will, since I have promised to make things right"

"Can we fight again later?"

"Uhh, you may want to look for a better place first, but sure, I guess"

Zesshi smiled slightly hearing my answer, though her eyes were still giving out somewhat sour emotion.

"Heh, I will be looking forward to tha-"

 **CRACK!**

Suddenly, a loud sound of glass cracking was heard. It had come seemingly from right above, so I looked upwards and immediately saw something. There was a fissure forming on thin air, and it oozed out blood red mist.

 **Crack! Crack! Crack!**

The fissure grew larger, and a pair of scrawny, large, clawed purple hands emerged. They grasped the edges of the fissure and visibly forced it open. The Captain and Zesshi stared at what was happening, while I only had one sentence coming into my mind seeing what was happening.

 _Oh, crap!_

"G-Get away from here!"

I shouted to everyone who could hear me, telling them all to get away from the vicinity. Before long, a sharp, sinister dragon head emerged from the enlarged fissure and looked around briefly before staring straight at me.

 **SKREEEEEEEE!**

The dragon roared loudly before ripping the space open and wholly coming out of the fissure.

 **Bam! Drrrrt!**

The ground vibrated as the dragon landed on the ground. It was about seven to eight meters tall, but it was now in a crouching posture because its body structure was made that way, so it would have been much taller standing straight. Its physique was so scrawny it might as well be skeletal, but that didn't make it look any less sinister. Its sharp eyes kept staring straight at me.

I just stood still and freezing, not in fear, but out of worry about the damage which the imminent battle would soon cause, because I knew very well what this dragon was.

This dragon was the berserk, Darker-eating dragon species feared by Darkers and ARKS alike.

 **Apostolo Dragon.**

* * *

 **[X][X][X]**

* * *

 **Afterword:**

 **A fearsome enemy emerges in the heart of Slane Theocracy. Will the combined effort of Guardian and Black Scripture be enough to subjugate the threat?**

* * *

 **Q And A:**

* * *

 **Q:** Is Alice on a lower level of intelligence to Demi?

 **A:** Alice is pretty well above average by New World standards, but still nowhere near Renner/Demiurge level.

* * *

 **Q:** Will Ainz or any other floor guardian going to fight elder or anything or will their overlord always remain hided in fear they get infected?

 **A:** If I have to make a guess, they will remain holed up until they either manage to mass-produce photon armor or secure alliance with ARKS fleet to request a supply of photon armor.

* * *

 **See you again later.**


End file.
